Grappling superstar Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon has reached the top of his profession in no small part because of his own self-critical approach to his development.
The New Yorker is adopting a similar approach to his mixed martial arts career where, despite his impressive performances in his first two bouts in ONE Championship, he refuses to rest on his laurels.
Indeed, the BJJ ace says he is not completely satisfied with his opening two performances as a mixed martial arts professional, despite walking away with a pair of stoppage wins.
He says there was plenty to work on ahead of his return to action at ONE: HEART OF THE LION.
“I think the biggest thing I took away from that last performance was I didn’t feel out the opponent as much as I should have,” the 27-year-old says.
“I kind of went straight in and got hit a lot because of it, and that made me much more timid throughout the rest of the fight.
“The second major criticism I had of myself was when I was taking punches, my head tilted in a backward direction many times, and that’s a recipe for disaster.
“Thankfully, I avoided it this time, but that’s when you’re most off-balance, and one good hit when you’re leaning backwards [means you could] get knocked over.
“Another major criticism – and I noticed this in the fight – is I usually move a lot more, but because he didn’t move, I kind of matched his pace. It was kind of like he lulled me into a rhythm. I would prefer that not to happen.”
Tonon barely mentions any of the positive aspects of his victories – his striking, his ability to finish, and his general appearance of comfort in new surroundings.
But that is what makes Tonon the competitor he is. Instead, he prefers to find his shortcomings, then work on them to ensure he is a better athlete in his next bout.
“I feel that’s a big part of what drives me to get better – self-criticism,” Tonon says.
Tonon returns to action on Friday, 9 November at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore when he faces off against fellow submission specialist Sung Jong Lee in a featherweight bout.
Tonon opts not to share any fine detail regarding his preparations for the contest.
However, he says he wants to focus on improving his own skills rather than looking to combat the strengths of his opponents, as he gets ready for the bout at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.
“Obviously, it’s hard to just come out and publicly say, ‘This is what I want to do here,’ because that will alert the opponent to what’s going on,” Tonon laughs.
“Right now, every fight that I take, I look at my opponents, and I try to look at what they do so I don’t get caught completely off guard by something that they do. Ultimately, I am just getting experience right now.
“What I know about him, the guy’s a grappler. He tends to use his grappling skills in the cage more than anything else.
“I don’t think he’s really going to adjust that for me. I think that means that the fight is going to end up on the ground.
“But my camp is not centred around beating Sung Jong Lee. My camp is centred around making me a better mixed martial artist.
“Whatever skills I manage to develop before this fight is what I’m going to use. I think it’s probably better at this stage of the game to focus on getting better as a mixed martial artist overall.”
With his focus firmly in his own development as a mixed martial artist, plus a self-critical approach that means his thirst for improvement is never fully quenched, Tonon looks set to return to action better than before, every time he steps back into competition.
And all eyes will be on “The Lion Killer” once again as martial arts fans from around the world watch a master of the grappling arts continue his journey under the bright lights of ONE Championship.
