Giancarlo Bodoni lauds ONE Championship’s efforts to promote jiu-jitsu to a wider audience: “This side of the world is getting an opportunity”

American jiu-jitsu ace Giancarlo Bodoni lauded the efforts of ONE Championship in promoting jiu-jitsu to a wider audience. He is looking forward to getting a piece of the action and showcasing what he is capable of.

The Texas native and two-time ADCC gold winner is one of the recent signings of the promotion, with his arrival further souping up ONE's roster of submission grapplers.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Giancarlo Bodoni shared his thoughts on the platform that the organization has provided, relaying how it is a boon to the sport. He said:

“It is creating a situation where the entire world of jiu-jitsu outside of the U.S. and this side of the world is getting an opportunity to come up and increase the level.”

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Giancarlo Bodoni was scheduled to make his ONE Championship debut later this year in the United States, but the event was postponed to June 2026.

Giancarlo Bodoni joins good friend Dante Leon at ONE Championship

In joining ONE Championship, Giancarlo Bodoni finds familiar faces in the roster, including good friend Dante Leon, who started his journey in the promotion in December last year.

The two have established a good relationship through the years as they have trained and competed at the ADCC and other tournaments in different parts of the world.

Leon described his relationship with Bodoni as built on a lot of respect for one another and bringing the best from each one. He spoke about it in an interview with ONE Championship, saying:

“When we trained together, when we lifted together, I don’t think we ever gave each other anything. If somebody did something or got something on somebody, it was always respected."

While Bodoni waits for his debut match at ONE Championship, Leon has already three matches under his belt in the promotion, winning two of them.

His lone defeat came earlier this month at ONE Fight Night 31, where he challenged ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo for the title but lost by decision.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi