‘Lion killer’ Tonon aims to demolish his opponent ‘as quickly as possible’
Undefeated American Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon is up for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career thus far.
The multiple Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and submission grappling icon is looking to boost his standing in the featherweight ranks and hopefully earn himself a shot at the world title.
Tonon, ranked number 5 in the featherweight Official Athlete Rankings, locks horns with number 3 contender and former One World Title challenger Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima of Japan at One: Big Bang, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday. The bout is one of the evening’s main events.
The grappling superstar says he has studied Matsushima’s style and knows what he’s up against.
“I’ve paid close attention to what [Matsushima] does. He goes in and out a lot with kicks, and he kind of fights from a distance and explodes forward into takedowns. He also has a good reactive takedown. I’ll be mindful of all of those things,” Tonon said.
“I don’t want to say it’s a threat, but it’s a potential problem to be solved.”
Since making his transition to mixed martial arts in 2018, Tonon has been on a roll. He’s now won five fights straight and has managed to remain undefeated so far in his career. What’s even more impressive is that he has looked better with every fight.
Tonon said he’s developed at a rapid pace and is aiming to compete for the world title sooner rather than later.
“I wouldn’t say there’s one specific skill that I’ve been working on, but I’ve just been trying to get better at mixed martial arts. I have a long road ahead of me. I definitely think that by winning, it puts me in a really good spot where I have the leverage to say, ‘Hey, I get the next crack at that thing,” he said.
One: Big Bang is the first of One Championship’s live events in December. The main event features a showdown between One Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine and challenger Murat “The Butcher” Aygun of the Netherlands.
Tonon is determined to beat Matsushima and earn himself a shot at new One Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le.
Though the 29-year-old “Lion Killer” is quickly gaining in confidence, he also knows he has to be careful. In this game, Tonon says anything can happen. Still, the brash American urges fans to watch closely, as he predicts a quick finish.
“I’m no longer feeling things out when I’m fighting anymore, or testing the waters with striking. When I go out to fight, I go out to win and crush my opponents as quickly as possible. So, I think this will be another situation where I am very dominant very early,” said Tonon.
“I know there’s a lot of people out there who would love to tune in and watch Garry Tonon get knocked out, so this might be your chance to see that. You never know. I see this fight ending earlier rather than later. I predict a first-round submission or TKO.”
