“I'm far from an underdog” - Dante Leon believes he can unseat Kade and Tye Ruotolo from their submission grappling thrones

Dante Leon urged pundits not to count out his chances when he inevitably vies for ONE Championship submission grappling gold. The Canadian BJJ ace confidently expressed his belief that he'll emerge victorious against the faces of the promotion's submission grappling ranks.

Shortly after exacting revenge against Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 27 on Jan. 10, Leon unabashedly proclaimed that he is capable of shocking the world by beating lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo or his twin brother welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo.

The Pedigo Submission Fighting affiliate said during the ONE Fight Night 27: Tang Vs. Abdullaev Post-Event press conference:

"Do I have a chance of beating Kade? Yeah, for sure. I have a chance of beating Kade. In the public eye and for the fans of ONE. I'm sure I'll be an underdog, but in my opinion, and to those who know, I think I'm far from an underdog and be their match with either of the brothers."

Dante Leon does have a history with Tye Ruotolo after splitting their first two encounters outside of ONE.

The 29-year-old ground savant, though, has yet to meet Kade Ruotolo and it will be interesting to see how these two will fare in a potential showdown down the line.

Dante Leon says beating tough adversary Tommy Langaker proves he's ready for gold

Dante Leon settled an old grudge with Tommy Langaker last Friday, where he outclassed the Norwegian powerhouse after 10 minutes of pure grappling bliss at ONE Fight Night 27.

After making it look easy against a multiple-time lightweight submission grappling world title challenger, Leon believes that performance should cement his claim as the no.1 contender.

The two-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion said during the post-event press conference:

"I believe I've solidified myself as the number one contender. So we'll see whether it's the challenge for the title next or challenge another up-and-comer. We'll have to see about that."

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 27 is available free on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.