Garry Tonon reveals he used ‘breaking mechanics’ in nasty kneebar finish of Shamil Gasanov

True to form, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) specialist Garry Tonon relied on his extensive grappling experience to fashion out his latest conquest.

‘The Lion Killer’ secured a second-round submission winner over Russian Shamil Gasanov by way of kneebar in their co-headlining featherweight mixed martial arts match at ONE Fight Night 12 on Prime Video on July 14 in Bangkok.

The 31-year-old American BJJ ace picked things up in the second round of the contest with a series of push kicks early on to force Shamil Gasanov to move in and shoot for a takedown. The 27-year-old Dagestani fighter initially had top control but eventually saw Garry Tonon make his way back up.

Then while clinching in the corner, Garry Tonon moved down for a leg lock. Clinging to his opponent’s leg, he put pressure on it, sending Shamil Gasanov to blurt a scream. ‘The Cobra’ tried to escape but was unable to, eventually forced to tap out just as the second round hit the halfway point.

During the ringside interview following his victory, the New Jersey native said he strategically employed breaking mechanics to help him come up with the victory, saying:

“That’s why he had to tap because he was in the same position the whole time. It wasn’t until I applied foot-over-foot breaking mechanics that I was able to get that submission.”

Watch the impressive kneebar finish below:

The win was the second straight for Garry Tonon, padding his push for another shot at the ONE featherweight world title.

He took his first shot at divisional gold in March last year but lost by knockout in the opening round to then-world champion Thanh Le.

Replay of ONE Fight Night 12 is available for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.