Dante Leon already has his eyes set on his next opponent after a sterling debut in ONE Championship at ONE Fight Night 26 on Friday, Dec. 6.
The Canadian grappler breezed past Bruno Pucci, scoring the win via a triangle armbar, at the event inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. It was Leon’s first time inside the legendary venue, and he was taken aback by how the crowd reacted to his submission under the bright lights.
“I’ve never been in an arena that has such impactful energy as this stadium does. It feels like the fans are on top of you, and not in a bad way,” he remarked to ONE.
“It just feels like that energy is shooting through your body while you’re competing, and it’s special, and it’s really unique.”
Leon was swift and technical in his victory, and it was good enough to be awarded a $50,000 performance bonus.
The cherry on top wasn’t taken for granted by the debuting star, who simply wanted to show his best in his first promotional outing.
“It’s hard to put into words how exciting that was. It was about two-and-a-half minutes out there of a performance, which I thought I had a great performance, but that’s a lifetime of work, and I did my best in two-and-a-half minutes to show my prowess and my technical ability,” Leon stated.
“This time, I was able to showcase a great series, a great chain of attacks. And I’m really happy that Chatri and ONE decided to give me the bonus. My goal when I go out there is to strive to have that kind of performance – win, lose, or draw – that the company would feel honored to give me that bonus.”
The multiple-time grappling champion arrived in ONE intent on building a legacy. The organization’s roster features a who’s who of submission aces, and Leon feels it is the most important place to be for any competitor who wants to cement their place in history.
“It’s plain and simple. If you consider yourself to be the best grappler, or you want to be the best grappler, or you’re striving to be the best grappler, this should be the place that you’re trying to come to. You shouldn’t be trying to go to other events where the best people aren’t,” Leon commented.
“When it comes down to it, if you’re an athlete and you want to prove that you’re the best, you have to go where the best are. ONE is where the best martial artists are.”
His tenure may have started in dazzling fashion, but Leon has been quick to move on and focus his attention on the next bout.
Although nothing is certain yet, the 29-year-old feels a rematch against Tommy Langaker makes a whole lot of sense.
“Somebody who I think is a great match for my next match would be Tommy Langaker. He and I have a very short history, but a history that goes way, way back,” Leon said.
The two first met in 2018, with Langaker coming out on top on that occasion. Six years have past since then, though, and Leon believes he is ready to showcase how much he has grown by taking on his Norwegian rival again.
Undoubtedly, a lightweight thriller between these two incredible artists would be a welcome addition to any card.
“I attacked him in the match and had several submission [attempts] in that match. So I think, given that we’ve both matured and grown as athletes, I’m very interested to see how that match would go,” Leon commented.
“And I think that’s a great match, a great step up in competition, another great match to take for me, and I think it’s a great match for the fans here at ONE.”