Back in October BJJEE learned that Shinya Aoki had a dream matchup in mind – a grappling superfight against Garry Tonon.
Would you like to compete in grappling competitions again? Who are some grapplers you would like to face?
I am always open to competing in grappling competitions. There are many good grapplers out there at the moment that I would like to face. People like Garry Tonon, Marcin Held, and Eddie Cummings are guys I would like to face.
Now sources are reporting ONE Championship is making the dream match up a reality!
It was just announced via press release that Shinya Aoki will be grappling Garry Tonon in a superfight on May 26th.
MMA reporter Jim Edwards confirmed on his twitter account:
.@ONEChampionship just announced via a press release that Shinya Aoki will take on Garry Tonon in a ‘Grappling super-match’ on May 26 pic.twitter.com/5fEiyGrS3k
— Jim Edwards (@MMA_Jim) March 21, 2017
Neither Tonon nor Aoki made further comments at this time. This fight will surely be extremely exciting.
“Shinya Aoki is considered probably the greatest grappler in all of mixed martial arts. His ability to scientifically break down opponents on the mat is nothing short of legendary in the industry,” One Championship CEO Victor Cui said in a release. “At the same time, Garry Tonon is known as one of the most exciting Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors in the world. The Aoki-Tonon grappling super-match is certainly a matchup that fans will not want to miss.”
Aoki is noted for being the DREAM Lightweight Champion, ONE Lightweight Champion, former WAMMA Lightweight Champion and former Shooto Welterweight Champion. Aoki is an A-class Shoot wrestler (aka Catch wrestler) and BJJ black belt, both under his long-term mentor Yuki Nakai, as well as a black belt judoka. As well as his MMA credentials, Aoki has garnered several submission grappling accolades including two All Japan Jiu-Jitsu Championships, a Japan Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship, a Budo Open Championship, and an ADCC Japan Championship.
