Garry Tonon picked up a pivotal win this past weekend and he will have a greater interest in watching who will become the division’s undisputed king.

This past weekend at ONE 165: Superlek vs Takeru, “The Lion Killer” scored an impressive first-round submission against #3-ranked Martin Nguyen to the delight of fans in attendance at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Garry Tonon’s Post-Fight Interview at ONE Championship 165

Tonon knew how dangerous “The Situ-Asian” was on his feet, and moved to take him to the ground within the first minute of their match. He proceeded to find ways to take control of his opponent’s back and ultimately got the finish with barely 10 seconds remaining in their match.

Following the match, the American expressed his delight at getting the finish and gave credit to his opponent.

“Feels amazing! I didn’t think I was gonna be able to do it inside the first round – not that I don’t believe in myself – but I just anticipated a lot more scrambles and stuff like that,” he told Mitch Chilson in the middle of the ring.

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“But [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******’ hurts.” Tonon also secured the $50,000 fight bonus for his submission against Nguyen.

With the win, the 32-year-old cemented his spot as the top contender in the division as he awaits the winner of the World Title unification bout between interim titleholder Thanh Le and reigning king Tang Kai scheduled on ONE 166: Qatar on March 1.

Also Read:  “I’m Going to Go for the Belt” – Determined Rade Opacic Promises to Put On a Stellar Show Against Iraj Azizpour

‘The Lion Killer’ aims for a rematch against Thanh Le

To date, Tonon’s only loss in the promotion has been his failed World Title challenge against then-titleholder Le back in ONE: Lights Out in March 2022. Since then, he has bounced back with three straight victories, including this win against Nguyen.

While he doesn’t have a preference on who he would face for the World Title when his chance comes up, he unsurprisingly picked his former rival to reclaim the gold. As 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,” he said. “For dramatic interest, I’d hope Thanh Le wins it so that I can take it away from him. It will be sweet revenge.”

Given how the first fight ended for Garry Tonon, how would he fare against Thanh Le if he managed to reclaim the featherweight gold at ONE 166? let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Also Read: Martin Nguyen Explains Why Garry Tonon Is the “Right Fight” to Fuel His World Title Ambitions