When Garry Tonon stepped foot onto the mats at Jiu Jitsu Battle 3 in Los Angeles on June 8, 2013, he was a massive underdog. Standing across from Tonon was one of the most respected grapplers in the world, Joao Miyao. Coming into the match Tonon was relatively unknown, but over the course of 15 minutes it became apparent that Tonon could hold his own against Miyao.
It became even more apparent when the judges were unable to find a winner and declared a 5 minute overtime round. While the overtime did little in the way to separate the pair, the judges brought the bout to a controversial conclusion, declaring Miyao victorious via split decision.
Since that night in 2013, Tonon has campaigned for a match against either of the Miyao brothers, but neither have obliged until now. FIVE Grappling have managed to put together a submission only, no gi match to finally determine who is the better grappler. In the proceeding years Tonon has became one of submissions grappling’s best known athletes, winning two EBI titles and putting on a memorable match with Kron Gracie at ADCC 2013. Joao Miyao has too been successful over recent years, winning two Pan American titles as well as coming second at two world championships.
FIVE Grappling Super League goes down on August 2 in California and features a pair of stacked tournaments – one of which features UFC star Hector Lombard . The event will be streamed live on PPV at fivegrappling.com.