"A way to check off a lot of boxes" - Dante Leon on what got him hooked on Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Canadian Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) megastar Dante Leon knew the sport was tailor-made for him when he realized he could still be a hard-nosed competitor without ever throwing a punch.

The Pedigo Submission Fighting athlete recently told ONE in an interview:

"I enjoyed the kind of problem-solving side of things and the physicality of it. It was something that I wouldn't get in trouble for. I could be rough, but not, like, punching people and hurting people necessarily. It was a way to check off a lot of boxes that a lot of other sports didn't."

Starting his BJJ journey at 12 years old, Leon took an immediate liking to the sport. His commitment to excellence led to him winning the IBJJF World Juvenile Championship as a blue belt in 2012.

2022 was a banner year for him. Leon won the gold medal in the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship and finished third in the ADCC World Championship.

The 29-year-old will look to replicate that success in ONE when he squares off against Bruno Pucci in his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 26 on Dec. 6, inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Bruno Pucci believes the pressure is on Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 26

Two-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion Bruno Pucci thinks Dante Leon will be the one who's under pressure come ONE Fight Night 26.

'Puccibull' said in a separate interview with ONE:

"I feel like in certain ways, it's good for me because I feel the pressure is on him. He's a younger guy, younger than me, coming up, winning everything. I fought MMA for a while. I stepped away from jiu-jitsu. So I think the pressure is on him, and I feel like this makes me more relaxed."

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