"A great reputation within the sport" - Dante Leon hails ONE Championship's move to work with Tom DeBlass to grow submission grappling

ONE Championship debutant and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) wizard Dante Leon praised the promotion's commitment to growing its submission grappling divisions by appointing beloved BJJ figure Tom DeBlass as Vice President of Grappling earlier this year.

In an interview with the Bangkok Post, Leon shared:

"As a well-established black belt, referee, and event organiser, Tom has built a great reputation within the sport," Leon said. "I think in his current position with ONE, he will do great for the brand and, most importantly, the athletes."

He continued:

"With the signing of new athletes, it seems that ONE is well on its way to becoming the premier organisation for professional submission grappling."

Though DeBlass' name might not be familiar to some fans, they have likely heard his voice on commentary breaking down the sequences in some of ONE's most prolific submission grappling bouts.

DeBlass will share the tasks of Vice President of Grappling with two-time ADCC gold medalist Leo Vieira.

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Bruno Pucci excited to welcome Dante Leon to ONE Championship

Two-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion and ONE featherweight MMA competitor Bruno Pucci is pumped to welcome Dante Leon to ONE's lightweight submission grappling ranks when they lock horns at ONE Fight Night 26 on Friday, Dec. 6.

In an interview with ONE, 'Puccibull' assessed the 29-year-old's skillset and how he plans to approach their bout inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand:

"[Leon is] very well-rounded. He can wrestle. He has submission attacks. He also passes strong. He's pretty complete, as he should be as a black belt. But I think, for this match, what I'm playing is the ring experience and the boundaries. I wanna see how that's gonna play out, and I'm excited for that. And, yeah, he's a strong opponent."

ONE Fight Night 26 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.