Shamil Gasanov open to trilogy showdown with Garry Tonon: “Ready for a third fight”

Third-ranked ONE featherweight MMA contender Shamil 'The Cobra' Gasanov is already looking ahead to a potential trilogy bout with rival Garry 'The Lion Killer' Tonon.

The Dagestani powerhouse evened the score with the American grappling ace at ONE Fight Night 34 on Prime Video last Friday, claiming a hard-fought unanimous decision victory inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

With both fighters now owning a win over the other, the chapter of their intense rivalry appears far from closed. Even ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has expressed intrigue about a possible grudge match between the two elite featherweights.

In his post-event interview with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post, Shamil Gasanov expressed his willingness to complete the trilogy. The Russian said via a translator:

"Yeah, definitely. [Gasanov's] ready for a third fight against him, but he thinks it would be fair for Garry to have a few fights in between, because he's had four fights in between. But he's ready to do it anyway."

Needless to say, the Russian rising star proved he belongs among the division's elite by avenging his only professional loss. The victory extended his active winning streak to five and improved his record to 18-1.

Watch the Bangkok Post's full OFN34 post-event interviews:

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Shamil Gasanov satisfied after settling the score with Garry Tonon

Shamil Gasanov was extremely pleased after finally getting revenge against the notorious submission specialist who handed him his lone career defeat.

'The Cobra' reflected on the importance of the victory and his respect for Tonon's elite grappling skills during the same post-event interview:

"I called him out when I joined the league because I knew he was a strong grappler. I knew he was a strong opponent, and I lost that fight. Although I do think I was dominating the fight for a while, in the end, I did lose. I am happy that I got my revenge today. It was important to me."

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 34 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.