Dante Leon has revealed his motivations for joining ONE Championship – ahead of his debut against Bruno Pucci on December 6, 2024 at ONE Fight Night 26.

Leon is a two-time IBJJF no-gi world champion, a former Grapplefest and Who’s Number One champion.
Known for his versatility and success across multiple weight classes, Leon has secured victories against some of the sport’s best and earned podium spots at the ADCC World Championships.

For Leon, the move to ONE Championship represents a chance to test himself against the top grapplers in the world.
He spoke about it in a conversation with the Grappling Insider:

I see ONE as being a really premier organization, between their presentation, between how they conduct themselves, and a big thing is the athletes that are there.

There are extremely high-level grapplers over there that have held titles.

In other words, Leon is very much looking forward to testing himself against the best of the best:

Some of the most high-level on the planet, regardless of who you ask, regardless of what kind of competition rules that you’re looking at, the best of the best are over there at ONE as far as submission grappling goes.

Leon reportedly had multiple offers on the table, including one to compete at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 in December.
However, the Canadian standout chose ONE Championship for the opportunity to compete at the highest level and cement his legacy:

I think if anybody’s serious about grappling…
If anybody’s serious about winning a title that will cement their legacy as an all-time great, I think the ONE World Title is key for your mantelpiece.