By Daniel Vreeland

In a relatively short time, the Danaher Death Squad has changed the way we look at jiu-jitsu. 

The New York-based collective brought the submission-only movement to the forefront of grappling, and its signature aggression has brought a much needed element of excitement to the sport in which points and stall-outs were the norm. 

The sport of jiu-jitsu has never been hotter in popularity; therefore it may seem strange Garry Tonon — one of the biggest names in grappling — has decided to jump over to mixed martial arts. The New Jersey native recently signed with ONE Championship and is expected to make both his professional and promotional debuts in 2018.

Tonon has long harbored motivations to scrap inside the cage, and his high-profile status in BJJ has provided a big opportunity with Asia's largest promotion. However, Tonon is staying grounded with his plan and expectations.

“I hope we’re able to get some lower-level opponents initially,” Tonon recently told the Top Turtle MMA Podcast. “It’s not that I don’t want tough level competition, but I have literally never had a fight before.

“I talked to another organization, a couple of organizations, prior to talking to One FC. There were a couple of situations involved where the first fight that I was offered was a fight against a dude who had like 50 fights.”

While many might expect someone in his position to use his fame to rise the MMA ladder more quickly, Tonon is a very cerebral athlete and his approach to the chaos is calculated.

“I think it’s an unintelligent situation to put yourself in [fighting someone with that many fights],” he said with a laugh. “Grappling is a sport and a martial art, but we’re talking about a completely different sport and I think it would be kind of silly to just start off at the highest level.”

While Tonon has an obvious experience gap in his striking and standing clinch work, he points out there is far more than just those elements. His One FC grappling match with Shinya Aoki in late May is a perfect example of a how Tonon can grow his repertoire.

“I even said when I grappled Shinya that there are certain elements of what he does in the cage that I could feel that he developed for years being in mixed martial arts,” he admitted. “There’s just certain skills that I’m really far behind in.”

That development is something that Tonon stresses for himself because he’s not in this for the short term.

“I think the biggest mistake that a lot of guys going into mixed martial arts are making, in terms of jiu jitsu guys, at least if they want to get to the highest level, is they’re using their jiu-jitsu skills too much and relying on them too heavily early on in their career," Tonon said.

“That’s nice for your first couple fights, but one day you’re gonna be competing against the guys at the highest level, and if all you have to rely on is your jiu jitsu… it’s gonna be a struggle.”

To avoid that struggle, Tonon plans to spend his time doing things the right way. He's willing to put in the work, yet, Tonon knows even training and learning from combat sports legends such as Firas Zahabi and Georges St-Pierre isn’t going to make him a well-rounded fighter overnight.

“Training MMA, especially when it’s a new thing for me, is gonna take a lot of my time,” Tonon said.