“Somebody who I have to take down” - Dante Leon says beating Tommy Langaker will solidify his case for a title shot

Dante Leon believes a win over Tommy Langaker will lead him to his first ONE world title opportunity.

After an impressive showing against Bruno Pucci — the husband of former ONE atomweight queen Angela Lee — in December, the two-time IBJJF world champion will face his toughest test yet when he meets Langaker at ONE Fight Night 27 on Friday, January 10 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Recognizing Langaker as one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world today, Leon believes a victory over him will set the stage for a future clash with either ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo, or his twin brother, Tye Ruotolo, who reigns as the ONE welterweight grappling king.

"Tommy's one of the best in the world. He's proven, he's a world champ. He's pushed for the title here," Leon said at the ONE Fight Night 27 media day. "He's very proven, not just in the world, but here at ONE FC. So that's somebody who, if I'm looking to be the best guy in the division, the best guy in this organization, he's somebody who I have to take down."

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Dante Leon welcomes matches with both Kade and Tye Ruotolo

As for which one Dante Leon would prefer to fight between Kade and Tye Ruotolo, it makes no difference to the Canadian-born star.

"But for me 170 or 185 is feasible, is doable, and either one of them," Leon added. "I have a history with Tye, I don't have any history with Kade, as far as matches go. Both those matches interest me and have a little different storyline to them."

While Leon has never faced Kade Ruotolo on the mat, he's gone toe-to-toe with Tye Ruotolo on two separate occasions, the first coming at Grapplefest 8 in 2020. Leon won the bout via the referee's decision, but he would come up short in their rematch a year later under the WNO banner.

Ruotolo submitted Leon via guillotine, evening the series and setting the stage for a potential trilogy match in ONE Championship.

But first, Leon will have to get through a very tough test in 135-win veteran Tommy Langaker.

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 27 live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, January 10 in U.S. primetime.