ONE Championship: Garry Tonon talks about his evolution as an MMA fighter

Garry Tonon has come a long way since he transitioned to the sport of mixed martial arts in 2018.

The current No. 2-ranked ONE Championship featherweight is now 6-0 as a professional mixed martial artist in four years and he is only getting better with every fight.

Somewhere along the line, Tonon learned how to use his developing standup game to compliment his grappling mastery. Eventually, it no longer became a matter of whether or not Tonon could strike, because he certainly could.

The question is no longer where Tonon is at in his MMA career, but just how far can he go?

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, ‘The Lion Killer’ talked about his evolution as an MMA fighter.

“The further along the journey I go, the less it is about [just getting the fight to the ground], and now more about precisely putting together the pieces of the puzzle involving striking. It’s been an evolution, from the bare minimum [striking] to win a fight, to being the most dangerous Garry Tonon that I can be.”

Garry Tonon’s first world title shot in MMA comes at ONE: Lights Out

Tonon’s moment of glory is rapidly approaching.

The undefeated 30-year-old will face reigning ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le in the main event of ONE: Lights Out, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday, March 11.

It’s Tonon’s first shot at an MMA world title and one that he says is coming at the best time in his career. ‘The Lion Killer’ couldn’t be more excited for the matchup and says his bout with Le will not go the distance.

“This fight is going to deliver… on one side or the other, somebody is going to get surprised. Whoever thinks I’m going to get knocked out or he’s going to get submitted, whatever the case may be, at the end of this fight someone is going to be surprised by the result.”

Tonon knocking out Le sounds absolutely absurd. However, the American tells fans not to count him out as he looks to make magic happen in the Circle.