Submission specialist Garry Tonon believes he would make Khabib Nurmagomedov tap
Submission specialist Garry Tonon believes that he would make UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov tap in a grappling match.
The talented submission grappler also competes in the sport of MMA, and is a contender in One Championship’s featherweight division.
Garry Tonon believes he’d beat Khabib Nurmagomedov in a grappling match
As reported by the Jits Magazine, Garry Tonon asserted that if he were to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a pure grappling matchup, he’d surely submit the UFC legend.
Tonon noted that if he competes in a wrestling match against someone who is a truly dominant wrestler, he’d probably end up losing to the wrestler.
Tonon continued that similarly, if Nurmagomedov enters his (Tonon’s) world of submission grappling, he’d easily beat the MMA legend. Garry Tonon stated:
“I think if we ever had a pure grappling match, I’d pretty handily submit Khabib. The same way if I had a pure wrestling match against somebody who is an extremely dominant wrestler. More than likely, they would beat me. But it would still be a fun, cool experience either way.”
Additionally, Tonon said that he doesn’t understand why people would doubt his ability to defeat Nurmagomedov in a grappling match. Tonon added that people will debate his chances against Nurmagomedov, and that’s because they are “uneducated about martial arts”.
Tonon pointed out that pure grappling matches are something he has been doing his entire life, whereas Nurmagomedov has been focused on MMA his entire life. Tonon added that Nurmagomedov might have an advantage over him in the realm of MMA. Tonon said:
“In pure jiu-jitsu, it’s hard to believe that he’d be able to do anything other than maybe edge out a draw or something, depending on the ruleset. If it was submission only and there was no ref’s decision, maybe he could not get submitted. That would be the best hope that he would possibly have. I think it would be a very dominant performance on my part if I ever fought Khabib in a jiu-jitsu or submission grappling contest.”
Garry Tonon suggests that he’d attack Khabib Nurmagomedov using leg locks
Garry Tonon explained that one of the things that Khabib Nurmagomedov rarely has to fight off is the leg lock. Tonon noted that leg locks are an underutilized technique in MMA.
Tonon continued that Nurmagomedov is unlikely to have faced too many leg lock attacks in his MMA training room, which is why he won’t be experienced enough to fight off his leg lock attacks if they ever face off in a grappling match.
Furthermore, Tonon highlighted the fact that Russian MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has a rich background in Sambo. Tonon noted that although Sambo practitioners are taught a few leg locks, their training isn’t as consistent as the best Jiu-Jitsu competitors trying to submit each other with leg locks every day.
Moreover, Garry Tonon revealed that the level of preparation for that is totally different, and that the leg locks would be a major discrepancy in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s skills.
Tonon also noted that Nurmagomedov is presumably prepared for other submissions such as ones that target the upper-body, as such submission attacks are utilized consistently in the sport of MMA.
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