Shamil Gasanov (14-1) avenged the only loss of his professional career, defeating Garry Tonon by unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 34 on Friday, August 1, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The event streamed live on Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime.
"I am happy that I got my revenge today. It was important to me," Gasanov said following his victory over the American submission specialist.
The third-ranked featherweight MMA contender controlled the first two rounds before managing his way through a difficult third frame while dealing with an injury sustained late in the second round.
"I was confident in the first two rounds that I knew that I was winning the first two rounds. So by the end of that, I was happy with my results," Gasanov said through a translator. "However, I got an injury at the end of the second round. And so in the third round, I was struggling, had to be more reserved, control my energy expenditure. And I knew that I lost the third round, or I gave up the third round."
Gasanov's preparation focused extensively on defending Tonon's signature back attacks after being submitted via kneebar in their first meeting at ONE Fight Night 12 in July 2023.
"Actually, this has been a big part of my training. I'm always in my training and my preparations. I'm always giving my back up to be able to practice getting out of that position, out of that submission," Gasanov said. "And so there was not a part of me that wasn't confident that I'd be able to get out this time as well. The only thing I was worried about was the legs. But with my back, this was something I was prepared for."
The defensive work proved crucial when Tonon attempted his trademark submission sequences during the fight. Gasanov's training methodology centered on worst-case scenarios, with coaches regularly placing him in compromised positions to build confidence under pressure.
Despite their competitive rivalry, the 29-year-old Dagestani maintains respect for his opponent.
"To be honest, I wouldn't say that we're really big rivals or at war or anything. We have a lot of respect for each other. Our team, our coaches have a lot of respect for each other, too," Gasanov said.
The victory extends Gasanov's winning streak to five fights and positions him as a top contender for reigning ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai.
