Garry Tonon Stays Perfect With 55-Second Submission Win

Garry Tonon goes for a heel hook

American grappling phenom Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon kept his unbeaten streak alive with a swift submission victory over Japan’s Yoshiki Nakahara at ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON.

Garry Tonon moves to 5-0 in ONE Championship with a superb heel hook submission of Yoshiki Nakahara in the very first round!

Garry Tonon moves to 5-0 in ONE Championship with a superb heel hook submission of Yoshiki Nakahara in the very first round!Watch the full event on the ONE Super App ???? http://bit.ly/ONESuperApp | TV: Check local listings for global broadcast

Posted by ONE Championship on Friday, May 17, 2019

Nakahara – who was expected to be Tonon’s toughest test to date – tapped to a heel hook in the first minute of the opening round of their featherweight mixed martial arts matchup on Friday, 17 May.

“The Lion Killer” looked energetic at the start of round one as he bounced around and feinted with his hands. He tested the range with a kick before his rival stepped in with a jab-cross combination. 

Eager to avoid the Mach Dojo representative’s powerful striking, Tonon closed the distance for a single-leg takedown attempt. Instead of focusing his efforts on finishing it, however, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt fell to his back and pulled Nakahara into an ashi garami leg entanglement. 

Garry Tonon ASH_9601.jpg

“The Lion Killer” was well known for taking out opponents in high-level submission grappling matches from this position, and Nakahara felt the full force of the Team Renzo Gracie representative’s heel hook game.

Tonon torqued his opponent’s isolated right leg, and the tap came quickly after, with just 55 seconds on the clock.

The New Yorker improved his perfect record to 5-0 with five finishes, and he looks like an increasingly polished product with every outing in The Home Of Martial Arts.

Garry Tonon DC 5652.jpg

“I’ve just got one thing to say, Garry Tonon is no longer a prospect in mixed martial arts,” he told the crowd inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium after the bout.

“This is a resurrection. We’re bringing grappling back to the forefront in mixed martial arts – we’re looking for that World Title sometime soon.”

More in News

Superball Tded99 throws a kick on Kongklai Annymuaythai at ONE Friday Fights 5
Ham Seo Hee Itsuki Hirata ONE Fight Night 8 23
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Janet Todd ONE Fight Night 8 61
Zhang Peimian Torepchi Dongak ONE Fight Night 8 70
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Danial Williams ONE Fight Night 8 70
Superlek Kiatmoo9 Danial Williams ONE Fight Night 8 42
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Janet Todd ONE Fight Night 8 83
Ham Seo Hee Itsuki Hirata ONE Fight Night 8 12
Superlek stares down Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 8 Faceoffs!
Rak Erawan Chusap Sor Salacheep ONE Friday Fights 10 16
Yodkritsada and Theptaksin face off ahead of ONE Friday Fights 10
Superlek Kiatmoo9 wins the ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship at ONE Fight Night 6