Dante Leon reveals decorated BJJ career kicked off through passion for MMA: “That was like an intro to jiu-jitsu”

Dante Leon's passion for jiu-jitsu all started with mixed martial arts.

As a multi-time IBJJF world champion, Leon has established himself as one of the best P4P grapplers in the world. This Friday night, May 2, he'll look to show the world just how good he is when he challenges reigning and defending ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, Tye Ruotolo.

The two familiar foes will co-headline ONE Fight Night 31, airing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.

Looking back on his career and how it all began, Leon revealed that MMA was his first introduction to BJJ. In a recent interview with Cageside Press, Leon said:

"I think every single person who ever did jiu-jitsu thought about doing MMA, because in a way, that was like an intro to jiu-jitsu. Like when my dad would show me what jiu-jitsu was, it was through an MMA fight."

As for whether or not we can ever expect to see Leon strap on the four-ounce gloves for a foray into MMA, the Canadian grappling isn't ruling out the possibility, but for now, he's focused on the task at hand:

"I've definitely thought about it. At this point in my career, not really focused on doing it too much, even though I'm more of a fan of MMA now than ever."

Thus far, Leon is a perfect 2-0 under the ONE banner, earning a quick-fire submission victory over Bruno Pucci in his promotional debut followed by a dominant decision win against former two-time ONE world title challenger Tommy Langaker.

Will Leon continue his impressive streak and hand Tye Ruotolo his first loss on martial arts' biggest global stage? Find out this Friday.

ONE Fight Night 31 will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2.