Garry Tonon faced his greatest challenge yet in tonight’s ONE Championship “Big Bang” fight against Koyomi Matsushima, but when the dust had settled, his undefeated professional MMA record remained unblemished. Unsurprisingly, Tonon’s grappling skills were the highlight of the fight, but Matsushima displayed impressive defense as he fought off some of the “Lion Killer’s” most dangerous submission attempts.
Tonon pushed forward right away, catching a kick from Matsushima and then chasing him as he stumbled. Tonon tried to climb up Matsushima for a guillotine, and as Matsushima disengaged and worked away from the cage, he landed a single punch on Tonon. Tonon sprawled as Matsushima tried to get on top, working his way beneath Matsushima and getting to his back. As Matsushima defended his neck, Tonon locked up a body triangle and worked for a rear naked choke. Still, Matsushima managed to defend against the choke and pushed Tonon against the cage, managing to survive until the end of the round.
Tonon wasted little time in round two as he shot for a takedown, but Matsushima disengaged and managed to stay out of trouble. The fighters remained respectful of each other’s power, with Matsushima going for a couple kicks before Tonon landed a takedown and quickly transitioned to his opponent’s back and locked up the body triangle. Tonon adjusted to trap an arm with his leg, and Matsushima again pushed Tonon to the cage. The position opened an opportunity for Matsushima to land some heavy hits with Tonon on the ground and trapped against the cage, but Tonon managed to stay relatively safe, getting to his feet and exchanging a few hits right before the round ended.
Round three saw Tonon catch a kick from Matsushima and attack a heel hook, but Matsushima managed to keep his leg out of danger. Matsushima then tried to get Tonon to the ground, but the body lock and trip wasn’t enough to get the job done. Matsushima stayed persistent with the kicks and drove Tonon back to the cage on the feet, but Tonon came forward with kicks and pounches. With under a minute to go, the fighters collided, and Tonon capitalized with a knee. In the final seconds of the fight, Matsushima and Tonon exchanged a few combos, but neither was able to finish the fight before time ran out.
Tonon took home his sixth win, continuing his undefeated streak. The fight marked his first that went the distance, and Tonon finished off his appearance in the cage with a callout for the featherweight title shot.
