“We are on a mission” - Dante Leon remains committed to his pursuit of gold despite heartbreaker against Tye Ruotolo

Despite a disappointing defeat in his last outing, Dante Leon isn't letting ONE Championship gold out of his sight.

The Canadian superstar suffered a unanimous decision loss in his bid for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title against Tye Ruotolo in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31 this past weekend at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

Taking to Instagram, Leon wrote that a single loss won't stop him from chasing glory in ONE Championship.

Leon added that he was disappointed with how his trilogy match against Ruotolo came to an end, but promised to come back stronger and restart his quest for ONE Championship gold.

He posted:

"Came in prepared, ready to be a champion, and didn’t leave as a champion. This stings, but nothing in my life or career has changed. I am close to the summit of greatness and will not stop until I get there. I am truly overwhelmed with the love and support I received after my match from friends, family, and fans across the world."

Dante Leon added:

"Those close to me know what I have gone through and sacrificed, and I will continue to work towards this next level of greatness. I love you all! Those who are all in, strap in with me, we are on a mission 🏔️ 🏆"

Leon's world title match against Ruotolo was the third time they squared off in their career.

They split their first two meetings in 2020 and 2021 outside of ONE Championship.

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch replays of ONE Fight Night 31 on demand and for free at Amazon Prime Video.

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Tye Ruotolo lauds Dante Leon's unbreakable defense at ONE Fight Night 31

Tye Ruotolo promised a submission win heading into his world title defense against Dante Leon, but he ultimately settled for a unanimous decision victory against the two-time IBJJF No-Gi world champion.

In his post-fight interview, Ruotolo applauded Leon's tight defense during their ONE Fight Night 31 matchup for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title. He said:

"Yeah, you know, the last time I got to fight him, I just had a little bit more time to work with. I was able to get the catch in the later minutes. He’s a very safe fighter, so it's hard to expose him sooner in the match than later. I had maybe one little opportunity that I tried to hop on with an ‘Estima lock’ and a couple of knee bars, but just nothing that was tight enough."