With the news that Garry Tonon will face fearsome MMA fighter and grappling powerhouse Rousimar Palhares in a submission-only jiu-jitsu no-gi match on Polaris 3, we decided to dig into the FloGrappling archives to shine a light on some of Tonon’s matches. 

Tonon had been campaigning for this match for some time, and he finally gets his wish on April 2. To get an idea of Tonon’s game, take a look at a select few of his matches below – more can be found on his profile page. 

Key Matches To Watch

Garry Tonon vs Masakazu Imanari

Leglock specialists usually live by the sword and die by the sword – or, in this case, the heelhook. Imanari is a scarily talented destroyer of lower limbs, but Tonon met the Japanese grappling head on and beat him at his own game in this no-gi submission-only match. In this match, Tonon enjoyed a size advantage over Imanari. Against Palhares, he’ll be giving up at least 30lb (and probably more). How that will factor into the equation leaves a lot of questions unanswered, because……  (continue to the match below)


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Garry Tonon vs Matheus Diniz

 
One instance where we saw Tonon succumb to a bigger, stronger grappler was at the No-Gi Pans in October of last year. Marcelo Garcia representative Matheus Diniz, a ferocious fighter known for his physicality and aggression, submitted Tonon with an unorthodox and unexpected wristlock that made Tonon scream out in pain. In his own words, Tonon described crying out as being “like a little bitch” and vowed never to do it again. However, the experience showed what can happen when Tonon goes up against a bigger, stronger opponent. 


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Garry Tonon vs Matheus Diniz (rematch)

Following their match at No-Gi Pans, they met a month later at No-Gi Worlds. Tonon played a smart strategy this time and even got to show a little of his playful side in the face of Diniz’s aggression. His smart wrestling saw him hang in there, even in the face of a big size difference. 

Starts 30.40 


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Matches of Interest

 

Garry Tonon vs Michael Langhi

 
Putting a young up and comer up against an experienced multiple-time world champion like Michael Langhi was never going to be boring. They battled for 10 full minutes with the deciding points being won in the final 10 seconds. For a display of Tonon’s technical level, look no further. 

Starts 1.18


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Garry Tonon vs Gianni Grippo

 
It’s unlikely we’ll see Palhares attempt much in the way of berimbolos, but for an idea of how well-rounded Garry’s game is look no further. It just goes to show he can play strategy as well as submission-only when he needs to. 


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Also Worth Watching

Garry Tonon vs Rodrigo Freitas, No Gi Pans 

A great example of Tonon’s top game and relentless passing attacks. 


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Garry Tonon vs Washington Luis 

Before he was known as a leg lock master, Garry was best known for his crushing rear naked choke and savage guillotine. In this match, we see his squeeze in action as he locks on a nice darce choke for the finish. 


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Garry Tonon vs Issa Able

 
Speaking of Garry’s monster rear naked choke, he’s a match where you can see it in action. In this bout from No-Gi Worlds, he cycles through a number of submission attempts before finally getting the finish. Worth a watch. 

Starts 1.04.30