Canadian submission grappling standout Dante Leon enters his third appearance under the ONE Championship banner armed with contingency plans for every scenario.
He will, after all, face the toughest test of his promotional tenure and a familiar name when he dons the rashguard at ONE Fight Night 31 this Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok’s revered Lumpinee Stadium.
The Pedigo Submission Fighting athlete meets divisional king Tye Ruotolo in a ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship showdown, and ahead of their single-round 10-minute war, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt emphasized his ability to overcome in-match adversity.
“Obviously, the goal is not to get put behind. It is not to get put on the back foot,” the two-time IBJJF No-Gi world champion told ONE Championship.
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“But if that does happen or if some of the same things occur as they did in the first match, I’m 100 percent better equipped to get myself back in the match.”
Those unfamiliar with Dante Leon’s world-class arsenal should be in for a treat. The BJJ specialist’s bag of trickery on the canvas is as complete as one can imagine.
Apart from a variety of submissions under his sleeve, Leon has plenty of reversals and cranks as backup—one that he’s ready to bring into play should things get rough against Tye Ruotolo.
He enjoys a 2-0 run in the promotion, with wins over Brazil’s Bruno Pucci and Tommy Langaker of Norway, and he’s ready to add another world-class name to his list come ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2.
Dante Leon ready to lay his hands on 26 pounds of gold
Though he knows he’ll be tested to the limit against Ruotolo in their rubber match, make no mistake, Dante Leon’s confidence in securing the win remains intact.
In the same interview with the promotion, he continued:
“How the fight unfolds, how it happens, when it happens, I don’t know. But as far as who’s gonna win the match, I think I’m gonna win the match.”
Active Amazon Prime Video subscribers can catch the entire card live in U.S. primetime for free this Friday, May 2.
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Edited by C. Naik
