# Garry Tonon

Garry Lee Tonon (born September 12, 1991) is an American submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He is a five-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion, and has won titles at ADCC submission wrestling championship, IBJJF World and Pan American championships.
He is known for his use of leglocks in submission-only grappling matches, and is a former member of the Danaher Death Squad, a grappling team that was led by John Danaher at Renzo Gracie Academy.
While he still maintains a consistent submission grappling training schedule, since his debut in early 2018 Tonon has focused primarily on training and competing in professional mixed martial arts competition.
Tonon has background in folkstyle wrestling, holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Tom DeBlass & Ricardo Almeida, and is the head instructor of Garry Tonon Jiu Jitsu in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

## Early life

As a child, Tonon was identified as having ADHD by his mother, an employee of a non-profit organization for children with special needs. Tonon had his first introduction to grappling when he joined the wrestling team at his school in 5th grade. Tonon continued to wrestle for several more years, through his freshman year of high school. Tonon has credited wrestling & martial arts with helping him to cope with his ADHD, and partially attributes his particular style of grappling to the disorder. Tonon would also be later diagnosed with alopecia areata, a non-life threatening condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. He attended Lacey Township High School in Lacey Township, New Jersey, where he later graduated in 2009.
At age 14, a friend decided to bring Tonon to a local jiu-jitsu tournament, which interested Tonon. He soon began taking classes at his friend's jiu-jitsu academy, but lost interest after several months due to the school's focus on mixed martial arts, as opposed to jiu-jitsu. Shortly after leaving that school, Tonon found an advertisement for Tom DeBlass' academy, Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and decided to continue his training there. While still attending high school, Tonon would consistently attend two classes per day at DeBlass' academy. DeBlass, noticing Tonon's interest in the sport, began bringing Tonon to Ricardo Almeida's academy for additional training.

## Grappling career

In 2008, after about a year of consistent jiu-jitsu training with DeBlass and Almeida, Tonon won his first title at the IBJJF World Championships in the Blue Belt Juvenile Division. After graduating high school in 2009, Tonon began pursuing a degree in exercise science at Rutgers University. While studying at Rutgers, Tonon maintained a rigorous training schedule and continued to compete in both local and international competitions, mostly competing in the gi for the first 5 years of his training, but later beginning to seek out more specialized, no-gi instruction from John Danaher. He was awarded his black belt by Tom DeBlass and Ricardo Almeida in September 2013. One month later, Tonon went on to compete for the first time in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Beijing, China, where he had matches with Kron Gracie, Marcus Almeida, Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, and Satoru Kitaoka.
From 2013 to 2017, Tonon went on to compete in numerous jiu-jitsu competitions as a black belt, including the IBJJF World & Pan American Championships, Eddie Bravo Invitational, Metamoris, Grapplers Quest, North American Grappling Association (NAGA), Kasai Grappling, Polaris Pro Grappling, ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, and others. His most notable wins include matches against AJ Agazarm, Joao Miyao, Dillon Danis, Ralek Gracie, and Vinny Magalhaes.
Tonon was booked to compete against Tye Ruotolo at ONE 157 on May 20, 2022 in a submission grappling match. Tonon was submitted with a D'arce choke and lost the match.
As a former medallist, Tonon was invited to compete at the 2022 ADCC World Championship. Prior to the event, Tonon decided to move down in weight to the under 66 kg division. He lost on points to Sam McNally in the opening round and was eliminated from the tournament.
Tonon was invited to compete in the under 77 kg division at the 2024 ADCC World Championship. He was submitted by Mateusz Szczecinski in the opening round.

## Mixed martial arts career
### ONE Championship

In March 2018, Tonon made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Richard Corminal at ONE Championship: Iron Will, in Bangkok, Thailand. Tonon won the fight via TKO in the second round. Tonon had his second professional fight against Rahul Raju at ONE Championship: Reign of Kings on July 27, 2018. Tonon won the fight via rear naked choke in the third round. In November 2018, Tonon went on to fight Sung Jong Lee at ONE Championship: Heart of the Lion. Tonon won via guillotine choke in the second round.
On March 31, 2019, Tonon continued his winning streak and fought Anthony Engelen at ONE Championship: A New Era. Tonon won via TKO in the first round. In May, Tonon faced Yoshiki Nakahara at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon He won the fight via a heel hook submission in the first round.
Garry Tonon was scheduled to face Koyomi Matsushima at ONE Championship: Inside the Matrix 4 on November 20, 2020. The bout was subsequently rescheduled for ONE Championship: Big Bang on December 4, 2020 and it was confirmed that he would have to compete without his coach, John Danaher, in his corner for the first time due to travel restrictions in place in Singapore. Tonon was unable to finish as Matsushima defended his submissions, but secured the unanimous decision victory to earn the first decision win of his mixed martial arts career.
Tonon was scheduled to face reigning champion Thanh Le for the ONE Featherweight Championship at ONE: X on December 5, 2021. In late October 2021, the promotion announced that the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His title fight with Le was rebooked for ONE: Lights Out on March 11, 2022. While attempting a heel hook, Tonon was caught by a hammer fist and lost by first-round knockout, handing him his first career MMA loss.
Tonon faced Johnny Nuñez on January 14, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 6. He won the fight via a kimura submission in the first round.
Tonon faced Shamil Gasanov on July 15, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 12. He submitted Gasanov with a kneebar in the second round and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Tonon faced Martin Nguyen on January 28, 2024, at ONE 165. He won the match by rear-naked submission in the first round and earned a $50,000 'Performance of the Night' bonus.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* ONE Championship
** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Shamil Gasanov and Martin Nguyen

### Submission grappling

* Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC)
** 2019 ADCC World Championship 3rd place (-77 kg)
* Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI)
** Eddie Bravo Invitational 11 (-155 lbs)
** Eddie Bravo Invitational 9 (-205 lbs)
** Eddie Bravo Invitational 5 (-155 lbs)
** Eddie Bravo Invitational 3 (-170 lbs)
** Eddie Bravo Invitational 1 (-170 lbs)
* Grapplers Quest
** 2015 All-Star Pro 1st place (-77 kg)
* International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF)
** 2015 Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 1st place (-73.5 kg), 2nd place (absolute)
* JitsMagazine
** BJJ Awards - Match of the Year vs. Dante Leon.
* Other
** BJJ Kumite (Brown belt, no-gi)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 10 matches | 9 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 2 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 9–1 | Martin Nguyen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE 165 | January 28, 2024 | 1 | 4:41 | Tokyo, Japan | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 8–1 | Shamil Gasanov | Submission (kneebar) | ONE Fight Night 12 | July 15, 2023 | 2 | 2:26 | Bangkok, Thailand | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 7–1 | Johnny Nuñez | Submission (kimura) | ONE Fight Night 6 | January 14, 2023 | 1 | 1:53 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Loss | 6–1 | Thanh Le | KO (punches) | ONE: Lights Out | March 11, 2022 | 1 | 0:56 | Kallang, Singapore | For the ONE Featherweight Championship (155 lb). |
| Win | 6–0 | Koyomi Matsushima | Decision (unanimous) | ONE: Big Bang | December 4, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 5–0 | Yoshiki Nakahara | Submission (heel hook) | ONE: Enter the Dragon | May 17, 2019 | 1 | 0:55 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 4–0 | Anthony Engelen | TKO (punches) | ONE: A New Era | March 31, 2019 | 1 | 4:12 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 3–0 | Lee Sung-jong | Submission (guillotine choke) | ONE: Heart of the Lion | November 9, 2018 | 2 | 2:04 | Kallang, Singapore | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Rahul Raju | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE: Reign of Kings | July 27, 2018 | 3 | 3:27 | Pasay, Philippines | |
| Win | 1–0 | Richard Corminal | TKO (punches and elbows) | ONE: Iron Will | March 24, 2018 | 2 | 3:40 | Bangkok, Thailand | Welterweight debut. |

## Submission grappling record

Professional record breakdown :
| 96 matches | 71 wins | 23 losses |
| By submission | 53 | 12 |
| By decision | 17 | 11 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 2 | 2 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Date | Location |
| Loss | Sam McNally | Points (3-0) | ADCC 2022 | –66 kg | September 17, 2022 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Loss | Tye Ruotolo | Submission (D'Arce choke) | ONE 157 | –77 kg | May 20, 2022 | Kallang, Singapore |
| Win | Dante Leon | Referee Decision | WNO 3 | Superfight | August 1, 2020 | Austin, TX |
| Win | Osvaldo Moizinho | Submission (heel hook) | F2W 145 | Superfight | June 26, 2020 | Dallas, TX |
| Win | Davi Ramos | Referee Decision | F2W Pro 132 | Superfight | November 23, 2019 | Honolulu, HI |
| Loss | Gordon Ryan | Submission (rear naked choke) | ADCC 2019 | Absolute | September 29, 2019 | Anaheim, CA |
| Win | Edwin Najmi | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2019 | Absolute | September 29, 2019 | Anaheim, CA |
| Win | Dante Leon | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2019 | -77 kg | September 28, 2019 | Anaheim, CA |
| Loss | JT Torres | Points (2-0) | ADCC 2019 | -77 kg | September 28, 2019 | Anaheim, CA |
| Win | Renato Canuto | Points (0-0) | ADCC 2019 | -77 kg | September 28, 2019 | Anaheim, CA |
| Win | Mateusz Gamrot | Submission (rear naked choke) | ADCC 2019 | -77 kg | September 28, 2019 | Anaheim, CA |
| Loss | Gianni Grippo | Points (4-6) | Kasai Pro | -70 kg | December 9, 2017 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Loss | Renato Canuto | Points (0-2) | Kasai Pro | -70 kg | December 9, 2017 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Win | AJ Agazarm | Points (2-0) | Kasai Pro | -70 kg | December 9, 2017 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Draw | Mansher Khera | Draw | Kasai Pro | -70 kg | December 9, 2017 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Win | Vagner Rocha | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 13 | -155 lbs | October 22, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Lucas Valente | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 13 | -155 lbs | October 22, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Ross Keeping | Submission (armbar) | EBI 13 | -155 lbs | October 22, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Chance Braud | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 13 | -155 lbs | October 22, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Loss | Vagner Rocha | Points (0-2) | ADCC 2017 | -155 lbs | September 24, 2017 | Espoo |
| Loss | JT Torres | Referee Decision | ADCC 2017 | -155 lbs | September 24, 2017 | Espoo |
| Win | Marcelo Mafra | Penalty | ADCC 2017 | -155 lbs | September 23, 2017 | Espoo |
| Win | Felipe Cesar | Points (2-0) | ADCC 2017 | -155 lbs | September 23, 2017 | Espoo |
| Win | Dillon Danis | Judges Decision | Polaris 5 | -81 kg | August 19, 2017 | London |
| Win | Shinya Aoki | Submission (heel hook) | ONE 54 | -81 kg | May 26, 2017 | Singapore |
| Win | Justin Rader | Judges Decision | F2W Pro 28 | Superfight | March 24, 2017 | Oklahoma City, OK |
| Win | AJ Agazarm | Judges Decision | F2W Pro 24 | Superfight | February 3, 2017 | Huntington Beach, CA |
| Loss | Antônio Carlos Júnior | Submission (triangle choke) | Submission Underground 3 | Superfight | January 29, 2017 | Portland, OR |
| Win | Kim Terra | Submission (guillotine choke) | Studio 540 | Superfight | December 17, 2016 | Solana Beach, CA |
| Win | Vinny Magalhães | Fastest Escape | EBI 9 | -205 lbs | November 7, 2016 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Daniel O'Brien | Fastest Escape | EBI 9 | -205 lbs | November 7, 2016 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Adam Sanchoff | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 9 | -205 lbs | November 7, 2016 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | JJ Friedrich | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 9 | -205 lbs | November 7, 2016 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Gilbert Burns | Submission (heel hook) | Polaris 4 | Superfight | October 29, 2016 | London |
| Win | Enrico Cocco | Submission {heel hook) | Grappling Pro | -77 kg | September 18, 2016 | Naples, FL |
| Win | DJ Jackson | Points (2-7) | Grappling Pro | -77 kg | September 18, 2016 | Naples, FL |
| Win | Hunter Ewald | Technical Submission {injury) | Grappling Pro | -77 kg | September 18, 2016 | Naples, FL |
| Win | Dustin Akbari | Submission (heel hook) | F2W Pro 8 | Superfight | July 23, 2017 | San Francisco, CA |
| Win | Ralek Gracie | Submission (kneebar) | Metamoris 7 | Superfight | July 17, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Loss | Yuri Simões | Fastest Escape | EBI 6 | Absolute | April 24, 2016 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Felipe Fogolin | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 6 | Absolute | April 24, 2016 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Draw | Rousimar Palhares | Draw | Polaris 3 | Superfight | April 2, 2016 | Poole |
| Win | Rafael Domingos | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 5 | -155 lbs | December 13, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Lachlan Gilles | Submission (armbar) | EBI 5 | -155 lbs | December 13, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Javier Vazquez | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 5 | -155 lbs | December 13, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Stephan Martinez | Submission (bulldog choke) | EBI 5 | -155 lbs | December 13, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Masakazu Imanari | Submission (heel hook) | Polaris 2 | Superfight | September 12, 2015 | Cardiff |
| Loss | Matheus Diniz | Points (0-4) | Nogi World Championships | Absolute | November 8, 2015 | Long Beach, CA |
| Win | Marcel Gonçalves | Disqualification | Nogi World Championships | Absolute | November 8, 2015 | Long Beach, CA |
| Loss | Michael Langhi | Points (2-4) | Nogi World Championships | -73.5 kg | November 8, 2015 | Long Beach, CA |
| Loss | Matheus Diniz | Submission (wristlock) | Nogi Pan Championships | Absolute | October 3, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Win | Gianni Grippo | Advantages | Nogi Pan Championships | Absolute | October 3, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Win | Washington Luis | Submission (darce choke) | Nogi Pan Championships | Absolute | October 3, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Win | Rodrigo Freitas | Points (7-2) | Nogi Pan Championships | -73.5 kg | October 3, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Win | Renan Borges | Submission (kneebar) | Nogi Pan Championships | -73.5 kg | October 3, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Win | João Ferreira | Points | Nogi Pan Championships | -73.5 kg | October 3, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Loss | Vinny Magalhães | Referee Decision | ADCC 2015 | Absolute | September 30, 2015 | São Paulo |
| Loss | Lucas Lepri | Points (0-10) | ADCC 2015 | -77 kg | September 29, 2015 | São Paulo |
| Win | Dillon Danis | Submission (heel hook) | ADCC 2015 | -77 kg | September 29, 2015 | São Paulo |
| Win | João Miyao | Judges Decision | FIVE Super League | Superfight | August 8, 2015 | New York City, NY |
| Win | Rob Greenidge | Submission (calf slicer) | Grapplers Quest: All Star Pro | -77 kg | June 6, 2015 | Edison, NJ |
| Win | Joe Solecki | Submission (heel hook) | Grapplers Quest: All Star Pro | -77 kg | June 6, 2015 | Edison, NJ |
| Win | Jordan Tabor | Submission (guillotine choke) | Grapplers Quest: All Star Pro | -77 kg | June 6, 2015 | Edison, NJ |
| Win | Josh Hinger | Fastest Escape | EBI 3 | -170 lbs | March 22, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Eddie Cummings | Submission (triangle armbar) | EBI 3 | -170 lbs | March 22, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Karen Darabedyan | Fastest Escape | EBI 3 | -170 lbs | March 22, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Josh Valles | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 3 | -170 lbs | March 22, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Javier Vazquez | Submission (triangle choke) | Gracie Nationals | Superfight | February 8, 2015 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Marcin Held | Submission (heel hook) | Polaris 1 | Superfight | January 10, 2015 | Cardiff |
| Win | Zak Maxwell | Submission (heel hook) | Metamoris 5 | Superfight | November 22, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Kit Dale | Submission (guillotine choke) | Metamoris 4 | Superfight | August 9, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Richie Martinez | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 1 | -170 lbs | June 1, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Javier Valenciano | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 1 | -170 lbs | June 1, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | Lance Glynn | Submission (heel hook) | EBI 1 | -170 lbs | June 1, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Win | PJ Linder | Submission (rear naked choke) | EBI 1 | -170 lbs | June 1, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Loss | Marcus Almeida | Points | ADCC 2013 | Absolute | October 20, 2013 | Beijing |
| Loss | Roberto Abreu | Points | ADCC 2013 | Absolute | October 20, 2013 | Beijing |
| Loss | Kron Gracie | Submission (rear naked choke) | ADCC 2013 | -77 kg | October 19, 2013 | Beijing |
| Win | Satoru Kitaoka | Submission (rear naked choke) | ADCC 2013 | -77 kg | October 19, 2013 | Beijing |
| Loss | Keenan Cornelius | Submission (triangle choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | AJ Agazarm | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | AJ Agazarm | Submission (shoulder lock) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Wero Salazar | Submission (kimura) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Wero Salazar | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Loss | Sean Roberts | Submission (armbar) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Sean Roberts | Submission (toe hold) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Ilke Bulut | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Ilke Bulut | Submission (toe hold) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Luca Ancoreta | Submission (heel hook) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Luca Ancoreta | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Loss | AJ Souza | Submission (armbar) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | AJ Souza | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Darragh O'Conail | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Loss | Darragh O'Conail | Submission (guillotine choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Vitor Silveiro | Submission (rear naked choke) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Win | Vitor Silveiro | Submission (ankle lock) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Loss | Keenan Cornelius | Submission (armbar) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |
| Loss | Keenan Cornelius | Submission (armbar) | BJJ Kumite (Brown Belt) | Absolute | December, 2012 | Washington, D.C. |