Dante Leon calls out former world title challenger for his sophomore match in ONE: “He and I have a very short history”

Image provided by ONE Championship
Image provided by ONE Championship

After making quick work of Bruno Pucci in his ONE Championship debut, Dante Leon knows who he wants to face for his sophomore outing.

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Leon delivered an impressive showing at ONE Fight Night 26 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium, forcing 'Puccibull' to tap out via a slick arm triangle in two minutes.

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Next, Leon hopes to step on the mat with two-time ONE world title challenger Tommy Langaker — a grappler he has a brief but intense history. Leon said during his post-fight interview:

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"Somebody who I think is a great match for my next match would be Tommy Langaker. I think he and I have a very short history, but a history that goes way, way back. You know, I attacked him in the match and had several submissions in that match."
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He added:

"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. It'd be amazing if we could do it in this venue as well."
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Here's the full interview:

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Could Dante Leon even the score against Tommy Langaker in ONE Championship?

Dante Leon and Tommy Langaker previously met nearly seven years ago at the IBJJF Pan American Championship in 2018.

There, Langaker scored a win over Leon via points in a tightly contested match. Since then, both men have gone on to add a slew of impressive accolades to their impressive resumes. Leon is now a two-time IBJJF world champion as a black belt, winning gold in 2019 and 2022.

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Watch the full match here:

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Langaker has topped the podium at a slew of world-class tournaments in the time since his win over Leon, including first-place finishes at the IBJJF Worlds and European Open, the ADCC European Trials, and the AJP Grand Slam AD in 2020.

Langaker has also challenged reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo on two separate occasions inside the Circle.

Given their history and status as two of the best grapplers under the ONE banner, is Leon vs. Langaker the match to make in 2025?

If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 26 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

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Edited by C. Nayak
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