“We got matched up”- Dante Leon admits he did not want to face good friend Giancarlo Bodoni in ADCC Absolute division 

Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. High-level athletes are bound to stick together, but when you're aiming at the same goal, it's only a matter of time before you end up standing across from the same people you surround yourself with.

That's what happened to Dante Leon and Giancarlo Bodoni at the 2024 ADCC World Championships. The pair of friends, teammates, and long-time training partners, had an unfortunate stroke of luck, getting drawn against each other in the absolute division.

It was a matchup neither of them wanted, but one they agreed to take anyway. Leon shared more about this in an exclusive interview with ONE Championship:

“We got matched up against each other. We easily could have said, ‘No. I’m not doing this. I don’t wanna go against this guy.’ And in that, you probably would be trusting what you kinda feel in your heart a little bit.”

Neither of them liked it, but it had to be done. They put their friendship aside for 20 minutes, with Leon ultimately getting a decision win despite a 20-pound disadvantage.

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Dante Leon says friendship with Giancarlo Bodoni is full of respect: “I don’t think we ever gave each other anything”

Dante Leon says the match didn't change anything between them. If anything, it mirrored how they always trained: with full effort and no ego:

“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. It was always applauded, and I don’t think that tournament [ADCC] was any different."

Now, Leon is focused on ONE Fight Night 31, where he'll challenge the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo for his title on May 2. Stream it live with an active Prime Video subscription.

Giancarlo Bodoni makes his promotional debut at ONE 173 in August. Visit watch.onefc.com for more information.