“I just fell in love with competing” - Dante Leon on what drew him to pursue a career in jiu-jitsu

Former two-time IBJJF No-Gi world champion Dante Leon has all the makings of becoming a bonafide star in the world's largest martial arts organization. The 29-year-old black belt joined ONE Championship not more than a month ago, and he's just days away from making his promotional debut.

Leon has the sport of jiu-jitsu to thank for changing his life. Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Leon talked about what drew him to jiu-jitsu all those years ago as a young boy.

The Pedigo Submission Fighting representative said:

"I just fell in love with competing. I fell in love with the environment, with the idea of competing, with the unknown, the challenge of competing."

Leon is set to make his ONE Championship debut this weekend against Bruno Pucci at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Prime Video, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Friday, Dec. 6 from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.

Dante Leon on what drew him to BJJ as a child: "It was a way to check off a lot of boxes"

Dante Leon pursued a career in jiu-jitsu over other sports as a child, and today, he has become one of the fastest-rising stars in the sport.

When asked why he chose jiu-jitsu as his path, Leon told ONE Championship:

"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."