"I have a mind like an elephant" - Dante Leon admits exacting revenge against Tommy Langaker fueled him in rematch

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) megastar Dante Leon never forgets his defeats in his accomplished career, which is why ONE Fight Night 27, held last Friday, Jan. 10, was an important event for him.

The legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted Leon's long-awaited revenge over Tommy Langaker — the man who prevented him from advancing to the quarterfinal stage of the 2018 IBJJF Pan-American Championships.

In an interview with ONE following his unanimous decision victory against the Norwegian, Leon stated:

"I absolutely was. Tommy has a win over me. I know that's about seven years ago, and it's in the Gi. But you know, I have a mind like an elephant, I don't forget about things like that. Tommy's a guy who's been killing it on the scene, just like I have, and we've never ran into each other."

He added:

"We've been in a lot of the same divisions. We've never gone against each other. So you know, Tommy's a guy who I've been raring to go against."

Defeating Langaker not only allowed the Pedigo Submission Fighting representative to level their head-to-head record at one win apiece but also marked his second victory as a ONE athlete.

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Dante Leon outlines his keys to victory over Tommy Langaker

Dante Leon prides himself on being one of the most refined BJJ athletes in the world, which he believes came into play against Tommy Langaker.

In the post-event press conference, Leon shared:

"Stronger people are usually harder to hurt. They can usually take more damage, and I believe that's the case with me being a stronger athlete, but technique is always going to be number one. If I didn't have my technical ability, I wouldn't be able to use my strength the same way that I do."

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE Fight Night 27 on demand.