On Friday at ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov on Prime Video, elite BJJ black belt Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon will clash with fellow top-end grappler Johnny Nunez in a pivotal featherweight mixed martial arts bout. Set to air in U.S. primetime live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, the showdown is, in many ways, a battle between jiu-jitsu and wrestling. 

Because while Tonon is renowned for his world-class BJJ and ultra-aggressive submission hunting, Nunez is a former collegiate wrestler known for excellent takedowns and suffocating top control.

Garry Tonon intends to take on the strengths of Johnny Nunez

Now nearly a year removed from his unsuccessful bid for the ONE Featherweight World Title, “The Lion Killer” is quick to recognize the threat that Nunez and his wrestling-based approach pose. 

 The 31-year-old explained, “Primarily wrestling is the way that he gets the job done. He rushes forward, swinging, shifting, and trying to tackle the guy into the fence to get him to the ground. I think he’s looking for as much control time as he possibly can on the ground, and he looks to win decisions that way.”

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 “I see the predominant danger of this fight being me getting taken down, held down, and controlled, without finding enough opportunity to attack him from the bottom or an opportunity to get up.”

DIVE DEEPER

Tonon sees his foe’s strengths, but he doesn’t necessarily fear them. Instead, the #2-ranked featherweight contender says that Nunez’s wrestling will create specific pathways to victory.

Garry Tonon had worked out the blueprint to win this bout

Always cerebral and strategic heading into fights, Tonon detailed exactly how he could win this bout as he begins his climb back to a coveted World Title shot.

“[Nunez is] a little haphazard in a standing position. Head down, swinging for the fences. I think there’s an opportunity there to land some strikes defensively as he’s coming forward.”

DIVE DEEPER

“I think there are three strong ways that I have to win the fight. One is I do a great job of taking him down, staying on top, and TKOing him. Two is that I have a good chance of taking him down and getting him to turn his back and strangling him with a rear-naked choke.”

“Three would be I have a pretty good chance – and since I’ve never knocked anybody out, I’m not going to say I’m definitely going to do it – but I think I also have a good chance of countering him as he comes forward with his head down.”