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Before they were tearing up the global stage, Dante Leon and Giancarlo Bodoni were just a couple of young grinders, bouncing from comp to comp. As the only North Americans in an otherwise all-Brazilian team, the pair naturally spent more time together.
Speaking with ONE Championship, Leon said:
“Giancarlo and I kinda took a liking to each other really quick. We shared a room. We were roommates for his time in Ohio, and we got really close. We traveled around together. We competed a lot."
What could've been just a passing partnership turned into a real friendship that has lasted years, staying in touch even when they moved apart. He added:
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“He was a great training partner for me. We just had a good friendship. We just really hit it off. And when he moved on, he moved to North Carolina. We still stayed in touch.”
And with Giancarlo Bodoni set to make his promotional debut at ONE 173, both men are now major players in ONE Championship's submission grappling circle.
“Some of the best jiu-jitsu in the world” - Dante Leon explains what makes Giancarlo Bodoni a generational talent in grappling
With Giancarlo Bodoni set to make his debut at ONE 173, Dante Leon was quick to give props to his old friend:
“I think Giancarlo really has some of the best jiu-jitsu in the world. When you look at somebody like him, he’s not blisteringly fast. He is athletic, I will say, but he doesn’t do anything acrobatic, super athletic," Leon said.
He continued:
"When you watch him do things, you can see step-by-step really what he’s doing, and how he’s doing it, and how effective he is."
Dante Leon will be challenging ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo for his title at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2, available via Prime Video with an active subscription in North America
Giancarlo Bodoni is set to make his promotional debut at ONE 173 in August. More details available at watch.onefc.com.
