Victory in Thailand!! Garry Tonon won via second round submission against the outstanding undefeated Russian Sambo/wrestling specialist Shamil Gasanov at Lumpinee stadium Bangkok. It was a hard fought victory with a perilous start to both first and second rounds as Mr Gasanov showed his wrestling mastery of front headlock combined with knee strikes on the ground (allowed in Asia). Mr Tonon had to adapt his jiu jitsu escape mastery to defend and counter attack from a position of disadvantage and was able first to fully reverse and take his opponent's back and then in the second round slip into a rolling knee bar. Mr Gasanov showed the courage and mental toughness associated with Russian fighters from the Caucasus and despite a fully locked out knee bar applied with tremendous pressure initially refused to submit. Mr Tonon had to go back to one of the foundational principles of our leg lock game – double trouble – to immobilize and control such a tough opponent. There is only so much courage can do in the face of physics however, and eventually he was forced to submit to avoid catastrophic injury – giving Mr Tonon an epic comeback victory against the odds. Congratulations to Mr Tonon on a great win that showcased both his skill and heart and also to Mr Gasanov who fearlessly went into grappling exchanges against one of the best grapplers in MMA. Thank you so much to all who helped get Garry ready. This bout was a testament to all the years of leg lock training going back a long way with students and training partners both past and present who helped that journey. Thank you to all our followers who have followed that journey alongside us. Garry needed all his skill honed through that journey to win this victory – thank you to all who helped and followed over the years.
