ONE Championship: Shamil Gasanov wants to help Garry Tonon into retirement

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Bengaluru, November 1: Shamil Gasanov has called out Garry Tonon after he made a statement debut in last month's ONE Fight Night 3: Lineker vs. Adrade, which took place at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 22.

The Russian featherweight beat then-second ranked Kim Jae Woong by submission in a little over two minutes to bounce the Korean from the rankings and position himself into the number five slot.

Gasanov pocketed an extra USD50,000 as a bonus for his performance at the event on October 22, courtesy of ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

"Well, Anatoly Malykhin told me that a submission in round one could be my good chance to get a bonus - and that's exactly how it all played out. It's a great feeling to have a bonus," Gasanov said.

But Gasanov isn't satisfied with just one win and bonus. The 27-year-old is headed straight back to Tiger Muay Thai to prepare for even bigger challenges ahead.

"I am going to give it to my parents, who have been very supportive of me all these years. They can spend it as they wish. I am going to collect my fee and head back to Thailand to train for my next bouts," he said.

One name that has been touted as a future opponent for Gasanov is #2-ranked Garry Tonon. The newest featherweight contender called for Tonon by name post-fight, and the American submission grappling legend quickly accepted the challenge.

"[Tonon] is nothing more than an American trash talker. If he thinks he can break off my leg, I can rip his head off and mail it back to the States after the fight," Gasanov said.

Tonon saw a six-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of then-ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le at ONE: LIGHTS OUT this past March, and Gasanov thinks that the loss was just the tip of the iceberg in the 31-year-old's decline.

Gasanov is certainly not short of confidence, and he says that he would like to beat Tonon before he does leave the sport, taking his #2 ranking in the process.

"He should be grateful people are talking about him now. He should thank me," Gasanov said. "ONE has put him on the shelf, forgot about him already. If he wants to come back, I will help him retire."

Source: Media Release