Garry Tonon is an American grappler and mixed martial artist known for his expertise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling. He is widely regarded as one of the top no-gi grapplers in the world and has a reputation for his aggressive and dynamic style on the mat.
Tonon is a prominent member of Team New Wave, coached by John Danaher. He has competed in and won numerous prestigious grappling tournaments, including the Eddie Bravo Invitational and the ADCC World Championships.
In addition to his success in grappling, Garry Tonon has transitioned into mixed martial arts, where he has made a name for himself in the featherweight division. He made his debut in ONE Championship, and received a title shot in March of 2022. While Tonon wasn’t succesful, he followed up that performance with 3 straight victories. His current MMA record stands at 9 wins and 1 loss.
It’s no secret that ONE FC has been struggling to keep it’s talent this year. The promotion is mostly sustaining itself on a steady stream of Muay thai competitions held in Bangkok.
During the podcast discussion, Eddie Bravo shared that Tonon had confided in him about his UFC aspirations.
“Garry Tonon, man, I talked to him not too long ago, and he said there’s a chance he might go into the UFC. But ONE Championship can match the offer—they have the option to do that. Can you imagine Garry Tonon going up against those Russians? That creativity is what solves the problem, you know what I mean?”
ONE FC contracts are notoriously difficult so it’s very possible they have matching rights during a certain time period.
Tonon has been competing in ONE FC’s 155lbs division – meaning he would most likely compete in the 145lbs division in the UFC. Tonon did the last ADCC in the 66kg division, so it’s not inconceivable to see him perhaps try and compete at featherweight, especially with weigh ins the day before the event.
