Dante Leon made his ONE Championship debut look easy. The Canadian grappler defeated Bruno Pucci via triangle armbar in their lightweight submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 26 in Bangkok. While pleased with his performance, Leon was just as delighted to experience the ambiance of Lumpinee Stadium for the first time.
One Championship Debut a Success
“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. 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 told ONE.
In the match, Leon quickly got Pucci to the mat and began working. The fast-paced action is exactly what he hoped to show the world in his One Championship debut match on the global stage. He was equally happy that the submission earned him a performance bonus that he could add to his bank account.
STATEMENT MADE 💪 Dante Leon submits Bruno Pucci with a slick triangle armbar in his ONE debut!#ONEFightNight26 | 🔴 LIVE NOW
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“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. 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 BJJ black belt recounted.
Leon is not just chasing wins. The Canadian fighter is actively wanting to build a lasting legacy in submission grappling. For that reason, he signed with ONE and believes all others who want to chase the same dream should make their way to the promotion to compete against the best talent roster in the sport.
“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. 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,” Leon stated.
After a phenomenal debut, Leon is already looking ahead to the future. He was not shy in identifying who he would like to see across from him in the ring next. That man is Tommy Langaker.
“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,” the lightweight offered.
The first meeting that Leon mentioned took place in 2018. Langaker earned the decision victory on that night, but both men have improved dramatically over six years. Leon hopes to get the rematch and prove to Langaker and the world he is a completely different talent now.
“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. 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,” Leon commented.
As far as first go, this was a solid ONE Championship debut.
