Garry Tonon says “it’s inevitable” for him to sit on ONE’s featherweight MMA throne after submitting Martin Nguyen

Garry Tonon was once at the precipice of it, but he’s now ready to stake his claim to the throne.

The BJJ legend captured arguably the biggest win of his career when he submitted former two-division world champion Martin Nguyen at ONE 165 this past weekend at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Tonon is now closer to another shot at the ONE featherweight MMA world title, and he believes he’s destined to one day hold the 26-pound golden strap.

Following his first-round submission win, Tonon told ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson that he’s ready to ascend to the throne once he gets the chance.

Garry Tonon said:

“Guys, you know it’s inevitable to have that belt tied around my waist. Let’s see what these guys do out there.”

Tonon, though, will have to wait for the all-important clash at ONE 166: Qatar between Tang Kai and Thanh Le. Tang, the ONE featherweight MMA world champion, will face interim titleholder Le in a unification bout at Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on March 1.

Tonon, who holds an incredible 9-1 MMA record, already challenged for the ONE featherweight world championship but failed in his bid at ONE: Lights Out in March 2022.

Le, who was then the featherweight MMA king, knocked Tonon out in their Singapore matchup.

---

Garry Tonon glad to submit Martin Nguyen as quickly as he could

Garry Tonon always raved about the sheer power between Nguyen’s strikes, and he experienced firsthand how potent ‘The Situ-Asian’ is.

‘The Lion Killer’ quickly got control of the match when he landed a takedown early in the first and got on top of Nguyen early on. Nguyen, however, clocked Tonon from the ground, visibly shaking the multi-time BJJ world champion.

Going deep into his grappling bag, Tonon transitioned to take the back before locking in the rear-naked choke for the submission win.

In his interview with Chilson, Tonon said he was glad to bring the fight to the canvas and avoid any further punishment from Nguyen:

“[When] I knew there was a minute left, I started throwing some kicks, opening up to the body, and we got that finish, man. I’m super excited that the only punch I took from Martin was while he was on his back, but then it f**king hurts!”