Garry Tonon has a message for younger opponents at the upcoming ADCC

For the first time since 2019, ONE Championship grappling wizard Garry Tonon is returning to the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships when the prestigious grappling competition hits Las Vegas this September.

Having previously competed in the 77kg division, Tonon announced in June that he would be dropping down to 66kg to become the final entrant in the field of 16 competitors.

‘The Lion Killer’ put the other 66kg entrants on notice in a recent Instagram post, offering them a little “shake and bake,” a reference to the Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly comedy film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

“I got something for the little kids in the -66kg division..... #yourmomsfavoritegrappler #rickybobby #ifyourenotfirstyourelast #taladeganights @skilledviolence”

Earning his black belt in 2013, Tonon made his presence known in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, becoming an IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) BJJ world champion, a two-time IBJJF world no-gi champion and a five-time Eddie Bravo invitational winner. In 2019, ‘The Lion Killer’ was a medalist at ADCC. Three years later, he returns to the competition with his eyes on bringing home the gold.

In recent years, Tonon has focused on his mixed martial arts career under the ONE banner. Having won five straight victories in MMA with five finishes, ‘The Lion Killer’ earned an opportunity to become a ONE world champion when he faced the promotion’s featherweight king, Thanh Le, at ONE: Lights Out in March.

Garry Tonon came up short in his world title bid, but given his impressive run in the circle, we could very well see ‘The Lion Killer’ competing for ONE gold in the future.

---

Garry Tonon’s loss to Thanh Le has done nothing to deter him from competing in MMA

Prior to his showdown with Thanh Le, Garry Tonon had only known victory in ONE Championship.

After losing to the reigning world champion via knockout, ‘The Lion Killer’ discussed his thoughts on MMA versus BJJ in an interview with The Fight Library.

“Basically, it was a lot less impactful than I built it up to be in my head. I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve lost in jiu-jitsu before but it’s just a very different thing. In MMA the consequences are so much more severe. Brain damage and things can happen in certain situations and a lot more eyes are watching you, especially in a title fight. Honestly I think in all aspects, physically, emotionally, mentally, things weren’t as bad I thought they were going to be. I had never got knocked out prior to that point in competition or out of competition. I imagined that to be physically more impactful.”

Catch the full interview below:

While Garry Tonon has since focused on submission grappling, ‘The Lion Killer’ still loves competing in MMA and has no plans to walk away from the sport.

“I didn’t have moment where I was like, ‘Do I really want to do this anymore?’ People would ask my my thoughts on MMA vs. jiu-jitsu and I would have to remind people, ‘Hey guys, I only know what winning feels like right now.’ I literally have never lost in this thing, I haven’t experienced real hardship yet. So my perspective on the sport is skewed because until you experience some hardship in the sport it’s all sunshine and f****** rainbows.”