Garry Tonon has earned the second black belt of his martial arts career – this time in Judo – awarded by Olympic gold medalist and longtime training partner Satoshi Ishii.
The promotion took place during Ishii’s visit to the Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu academy, where he shared techniques with the team before surprising Tonon with the rank.
Tonon and Ishii have spent years training together under John Danaher, bridging two different grappling backgrounds.
Tonon built his reputation as one of the most creative and successful no-gi Jiu-Jitsu competitors of his era before transitioning to MMA.
Ishii, meanwhile, reached the highest pinnacle in Judo by winning Olympic gold and later brought his skills into MMA as well.
Their shared journey has involved constant technical exchange.
Ishii is widely respected for adapting Judo to no-gi and MMA through creative grips and modified throws, while Tonon has helped push advancements in submission grappling – including a highly developed standing game that continues to evolve inside the cage.
Although Tonon hasn’t competed in the gi for many years, he has consistently kept his Judo and standing grappling sharp in training, and elements of that skill set have shown up throughout his MMA career.
Ishii and Tonon shared the news about the promotion via social media:
I’m also happy to announce that I promoted him to a Judo black belt.
There are only two places that can officially issue a Judo black belt ( Kodokan and IJF) but I can assure you, he deserves it.
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