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Once upon a time, Dante Leon had dreamed of becoming a hockey player. Then he discovered jiu-jitsu.
Today, Leon is one of the most accomplished grapplers in the sport, topping the podium at the IBJJF Worlds, Pans, and American Nationals. Next on his list is bringing home 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold.
On Friday, December 6, Leon will make his highly anticipated debut when the promotion heads back to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand for a loaded ONE Fight Night 26 card on Amazon Prime Video. There, the 29-year-old standout will square off with Brazilian mixed martial artist Bruno Pucci in a lightweight submission grappling showdown.
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Speaking with ONE ahead of his highly anticipated debut, Leon revealed that he had regularly played hockey until discovering BJJ. Six months later, he stopped slapping the puck around altogether and hasn't had the desire to do so since.
“When I started [with BJJ], I played hockey for about another 6 months, and then I stopped, and I’ve never played hockey since," Leon said. "So, since I was 12-and-a-half years old, I have not laced up a pair of skates or anything like that.”
Dante Leon loves the physicality and problem-solving aspects of BJJ
Clearly, things have worked out pretty well for Dante Leon after choosing to make jiu-jitsu his life's focus.
As for what initially drew him to the sport, the Pedigo Submission Fighting product said:
"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."
Will Leon establish himself as a potential contender for ONE lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo right out of the gate, or will Bruno Pucci spoil the Canadian sensation's promotional premiere?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 26 live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, December 6 in U.S. primetime.
