Why Dante Leon signed with ONE Championship: “Best of the best are over there” 

Renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Dante Leon has cemented himself as an irresistible force in the grappling world over the last few years. And now he looks to stamp his authority in ONE Championship.  

The Canadian submission artist arrives at ONE Fight Night 26: Lee vs. Rasulov on Friday, December 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. There, he squares off against fellow black belt Bruno Pucci in a lightweight submission grappling affair.  

Wherever Leon has gone, accolades have followed. He has faced the best on offer, coming away an IBJJF World Championship on several occasions. ONE Championship’s grappling realm is continuing to evolve, and it’s where Leon believes he can become a global phenomenon.  

“I see ONE as being a really premier organization, between their presentation, between how they conduct themselves, and a big thing is the athletes that are there,” he said. 

“There are extremely high-level grapplers over there that have held titles. Now, some of the [highest] levels on the planet, regardless of who you ask. Regardless of what kind of competition rules that you’re looking at, the best of the best are over there at ONE as far as submission grappling goes.” 

How Dante Leon left hockey for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Dante Leon was a promising hockey player, but once he found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he knew his life was about to change. 

Most notably, the 29-year-old was attracted to the physicality of BJJ. So, when he discovered he could be more aggressive on the mats than on the rink, Leon quickly fell in love with a whole new way of life. 

“It was almost like my desire for hockey was kind of leaving,” he said. “I really liked the game, but I was kind of losing my passion to be super competitive with it. At that point, I actually found jiu-jitsu with the help of my dad. He introduced me to it.” 

“When I started [with BJJ], I played hockey for about another 6 months, and then I stopped, and I’ve never played hockey since. So, since I was 12-and-a-half years old, I have not laced up a pair of skates or anything like that.”