Garry Tonon expecting to face Dillon Danis in MMA ‘later in our careers’

Even before his professional MMA career kicked off, Renzo Gracie Academy standout Garry Tonon has been wanting to face fellow grappling specialist Dillon Danis. Despite the rift between Danis and the “Danaher death squad” whom he referred to as a “bunch of p-ssies”, a fight between him and Tonon never really materialized.

Both athletes are now fighting professionally under different promotions, but according to Tonon, facing Conor McGregor’s grappling coach and training partner will happen down the line.

“Of course, I’m open to it, but the fact that we’re signed to different promotions makes it impossible at this stage,” Tonon said of fighting Danis in a recent interview with MMA Fighting. “I try to avoid talking about it too much because at this point, it’s all talk. I can say whatever I want and he can say whatever he wants, but at the end of the day, in order for us to fight it would take one of us leaving a contract for it to happen.”

“It’s probably going to take years, or at least a year, before that could actually happen, even if that was something we both wanted to do. That’s just how these fight contracts work — it’s pretty difficult to just opt out one-way or another. If it happens it will be later in our careers.”

As for how they will end up fighting, Tonon feels everything will be sorted out, including the weight class and the promotion company they will be fighting under.

“Who knows, maybe he only has a short term contract with Bellator or something and he decides he wants to come over to ONE,” Tonon said. “I think I’m going to be with ONE for a longer period of time, I’m not leaving any time soon, so it’s not going to happen from my end.”

“If it happens, then awesome, maybe we end of fighting earlier in our MMA careers. I’m good with it either way. We’re definitely in different weight classes though, so it would have to be at a catchweight or something. I really doubt that he could make 170 lbs for ONE Championship because you have to be that weight and be hydrated.”

Tonon just notched his second professional win late last month with a third-round submission win over Rahul Raju at ONE Championship: Reign of Kings. Danis, meanwhile, has not fought since his MMA debut at Bellator 198, where he won via first-round submission against Kyle Walker.