Dante Leon will now be making his ONE Championship debut against MMA veteran Bruno Pucci at ONE Fight Night 26 on December 6th, 2024. Leon has wasted no time in booking his first match, as he only signed his contract with ONE Championship a few weeks ago. It’s not a matchup that many people would have predicted either, as Pucci has been known more for his MMA career in recent years. Pucci is a BJJ black belt though and he was actually a top competitor during his journey through the colored belt ranks, winning the IBJJF No Gi World Championship twice as a purple belt.
Leon on the other hand has focused exclusively on grappling and has become one of the top competitors to ever come out of Canada. He’s actually won the IBJJF No Gi World Championship at black belt twice, with the most recent of those world titles coming in 2022. He’s also won a silver and bronze medal at the same tournament, along with a pair of bronze medals from the last two editions of ADCC as well. He’s established himself as one of the best grapplers in the world at any weight class and he will undoubtedly be the favorite in this matchup with Pucci.
Dante Leon vs Bruno Pucci isn’t even the only submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 26, as the promotion has booked another pair of exciting matchups for the same event. Cole Abate will also be making his promotional debut against Shinya Aoki in a battle between youth and experience on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Later on in the card there will even be a submission grappling world championship on the line, as Danielle Kelly faces Mayssa Bastos in a rematch for the atomweight world title that she held up until their first match earlier this year.
