ONE: Lights Out headliner Garry Tonon hopes to fulfill life mission through martial arts

Bengaluru, March 8: Garry Tonon will primarily be remembered for his accomplishments as a fighter, but the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion wants his legacy to extend beyond the Circle.

In three days from now, "The Lion Killer" will have a chance to become a mixed martial arts titleholder by defeating current ONE Featherweight World Champion Thanh Le at ONE: Lights Out on Friday (March 11) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

However, his willingness to positively impact people gives him the desire to play his part in making the world a better place.

"What helps me sleep at night, and what helps me wake up in the morning and do what I have to do, is to believe that part of the reason that I'm here is to add something positive to the world around me," the Evolve MMA and Team Renzo Gracie representative shared.

But when asked about his plan of action, he doesn't want to execute change in marvelous ways.

"It's less big for me. It's more like the small little things that I do on a day-to-day basis," the New York-based combatant added.

With his day mainly focused on combat sports, the 30-year-old grappler would like to influence the next generation of fighters.

Tonon would like to pass on the lessons he learned from his coach, John Danaher, to those who will follow in his footsteps. After all, imparting knowledge to others gives him a sense of fulfillment.

"What feels like some sense of permanence to me is me teaching somebody something, giving somebody something, or having an impact on somebody, and then them eventually being able to give that to somebody else - and it going down the line," the BJJ specialist with a 7-0 record in ONE expressed.

"So, whether my name is written in a history book or not, my impact on each person whose life that I touch, my objective would be to change the world in that way."

But before Tonon transitions to become more of a mentor, he will maximize the prime years of his fighting career. His coaching stint will have to take a back seat to his fighting opportunities, especially if he defeats Le for the featherweight crown.

However, he made it clear that coaching would be a massive part of his future.

"One day, I will become a teacher - even though I am [already] a teacher, but teaching will be my main thing. Right now, I'm an athlete first and foremost," the competitor with 64 career BJJ victories to his credit mentioned.

"One day, my main thing will be to be a teacher, and that will be the largest percentage of my life, easily. Teaching would be my main thing, probably somewhere from around my late 30s all the way into my mid-to-late 60s."

For now, he will show his mastery of the sport inside the Circle. But as Father Time beckons, he will become a full-time master to more people who would like to learn BJJ and MMA in general from a legend like him.

Watch Tonon compete at ONE: Lights Out live on Disney+ Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2, beginning with the lead card at 4:30 PM IST on Friday (March 11). Meanwhile, the main card will be broadcast live on Disney+ Hotstar at 6 PM IST.

Source: Media Release