“For me, it was laughable” - Eddie Alvarez shrugs off potential MMA fight with Garry Tonon

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Eddie Alvarez (L) doesn't think Garry Tonon (R) would beat him in an MMA fight [ Image credits: ONE Championship ]

ONE lightweight standout and former multi-time MMA world champion Eddie Alvarez recently appeared on Chael Sonnen's YouTube channel. The two talked about many things, including Alvarez's MMA career and his current stint in ONE Championship. 'The Underground King' talked to Sonnen about what separates ONE from the rest of the fight organizations in the world.

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Alvarez pointed out that all athletes signed with ONE are qualified to try their hand at any of the combat sports the organization showcases. This year, we have regularly seen MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling.

One of the most notable fighters to frequently jump between two sports in ONE is Garry Tonon. 'The Lion Killer' has competed both in MMA and submission grappling in ONE and has called out Eddie Alvarez in the past.

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'The Bad Guy' brought this up with Alvarez, to which he replied:

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“That’s exciting, Garry did that. As soon as I entered, Garry Tonon started talking shit, ‘I wanna fight Eddie. I wanna do this.’ For me, it was laughable. He was a weight class down, but I don’t think MMA-wise it’s going to be competitive.”

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Although Tonon has done really well in his transition to MMA - winning six straight en route to a world title shot - he was arguably exposed in his last bout. In his most recent MMA bout, Tonon was knocked out by ONE featherweight world champion Thanh Le. The grappling specialist was heavily pursuing a leglock, which then exposed his face for a knockout blow.

Eddie Alvarez might have a point. Although Tonon is remarkable in MMA, he still needs more experience to make a fight with 'The Underground King' competitive. Not to mention the fact that they are of different weight classes.

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"His grappling is phenomenal" - Eddie Alvarez on Garry Tonon

Also during the conversation, Eddie Alvarez expressed his admiration for Tonon's grappling excellence. The jiu-jitsu icon has elevated the sport to new heights and Alvarez respects him for it.

'The Underground King' said:

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"I don’t think we’ve rolled. We rolled in the same room together and back really too far back for it to make sense. He’s gone levels and levels above in grappling where he took it to a whole different level. His grappling is phenomenal."

Without a doubt, Tonon possesses perhaps the most lethal jiu-jitsu skills in his division in MMA today. His career inside the circle is just taking off, and if his dedication to mastering the ground game is any indication, it will only be a matter of time before we will see 'The Lion Killer' fighting for the gold once again.

Watch the full conversation between Alvarez and Sonnen here:

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