Dante Leon and Tommy Langaker booked for submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 27 

Although combat sports are in an eternal state of change, some things remain the same. That can be said for Dante Leon and Tommy Langaker, who are about to reignite a rivalry at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev. 

The wrestling wizards collide in a 180-pound catchweight submission grappling affair on Friday, January 10, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. 

The pair first crossed paths in the IBJJF Pan-American Championships in 2018. On that occasion, Langaker left with a narrow points victory. But now that Leon has went from fighting on mats to inside the ring, he wants to get a win back on the grandest stage.  

The Canadian star debuted earlier this month at ONE Fight Night 26. There, he submitted Bruno Pucci in just over two minutes to introduce himself to ONE Championship fans. And he hasn’t wasted any time in eyeing up his next nemesis. 

The more experienced Langaker has competed in ONE on four occasions. The Norwegian outgrappled Renato Canuto in his debut in 2022 before submitting Uali Kurzhev in February 2023. 

That led to two ONE World Title showdowns with lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo. But after coming up short on both attempts, Langaker wants to re-establish himself in the division. 

Dante Leon out for revenge at ONE Fight Night 27

Lightweight submission grappling star Dante Leon is on a mission to assert himself as the top dog in ONE Championship. And part of that means righting the wrongs of yesteryear.  

After his prolific debut at ONE Fight Night 26, Leon snatched the opportunity to call out an old foe in Tommy Langaker. The duo’s history dates back to 2018, where Leon fell short to the Norwegian.  

But given their respective trajectories ever since, the 29-year-old wants to run it back. And fortunately, his wish has been granted. 

“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,” he said. 

“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.”