Garry Tonon Confident Shamil Gasanov Will Regret Taking Him On

As the date of ONE Fight Night 12 draws near, the tension between Garry Tonon and Shamil Gasanov continues to build.

Both men are scheduled to collide in a pivotal featherweight encounter in the co-headliner of the aforementioned card, with the winner possibly getting the next shot at the coveted ONE featherweight championship.

With Gasanov looking to accelerate his journey toward his personal goal of vying for the division's world title, Tonon issued a clear warning to his Russian opponent.

"I like [that he called me his dream matchup] from a standpoint of respect. I think that's cool, to be known as somebody who people look at and say, 'Man, that's the guy I need to beat to prove myself.' From a standpoint of what's smart for his career? If you ask me, I don't know if that was the smartest move," he said.

Despite acknowledging Gasanov's skills, the decorated American grappler firmly believes that his opponent is venturing into unfamiliar territory by facing him.

"If there's anybody in the division who's going to be a better grappler than him, it's going to be me, right? So this stylistic matchup of him using grappling to try to beat opponents versus another dude who's really, really good at that makes that one of the toughest fights for him to win," Tonon stated.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend before transitioning to mixed martial arts, Tonon recognizes Gasanov as an exceptional submission-focused competitor, defying the typical mold associated with fighters from Dagestan.

"I look at his game the same way that I look at my game. This guy is trying to control and submit people. He may as well be a jiu-jitsu guy. From a fight-selling standpoint, Dagestani-Russian wrestler versus the jiu-jitsu guy, okay, I get it," he expressed.

"But I actually think he's a little different than some of the Dagestani-Russian wrestling types because he tends to favor submitting people over beating them up on the ground. So I think it's a cool stylistic matchup to fight somebody who's another really tough grappler."

The No. 2-ranked featherweight contender is well aware of the capabilities possessed by Gasanov.

While acknowledging his foe's proficiency in the grappling department, "The Lion Killer" feels that a significant disparity in ability will manifest once they meet on the mat.

"For sure, I'm going to submit this guy. It's just a question of how. What's the most likely way of doing it? Maybe some sort of guillotine," Tonon declared.

ONE Fight Night 12 takes place at the fabled Lumipinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, July 15. North American fans will get to watch the live event on Prime Video on Friday, July 14 at 8:00 PM ET.