Dante Leon eyes redemption against Kenta Iwamoto at ONE Fight Night 42

Dante Leon knows what falling short of a world title feels like. The Canadian grappling ace lost a decision to Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 31 in May and has been building his case for another crack at gold ever since. His next step comes at ONE Fight Night 42 on Prime Video on April 10 against Japanese grappler Kenta Iwamoto in welterweight submission grappling, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

The two met before — Leon submitted Iwamoto in the third round at the 2023 AIGA Champions League under a different format: three five-minute rounds with points. ONE’s single 10-minute round is a fundamentally different challenge, and Leon is treating this as a clean slate. Iwamoto has continued to evolve since that loss, combining his judo base with relentless top pressure, and Leon is not walking in with any assumptions about how this one goes.

“We fought in a different organization. It was three five-minute rounds with points awarded, a very different ruleset from ONE. I was able to submit him in the third round. There’s going to be a different challenge here. I obviously have to get to work a little bit quicker. You have to be able to get the job done within those 10 minutes rather than rely on the last five-minute round,” Leon said.

“That match was a while ago. I know Kenta has gotten better. It’s very foolish to bring what happened last time to the front of your mind. I’m sure he feels like he can give a better performance, and he wants to redeem himself. And with respect to that, I have to show up and be better.”

Dante Leon lays out his path to a finish at ONE Fight Night 42

Dante Leon has a clear picture of where he intends to take the fight. He sees himself getting on top of Iwamoto either off a takedown or from a scramble. He also believes Iwamoto’s habit of exposing limbs during escape attempts will create the submission opportunity he needs.

The loss to Ruotolo still drives him. Not just because of the result, but because of how he felt he left things on the table. That feeling has sharpened his preparation, and he is returning to the mat with a singular focus: a world title. He is even open to dropping to lightweight to challenge Kade Ruotolo if that is what it takes to claim gold.

“I’m here because I want the title. It’s the most exclusive title in the entire world of submission grappling. There is no more coveted, respected, or badass-looking championship belt than ONE Championship’s,” Dante Leon said.

“Every time I’ve been in an organization, my goal is to prove that I’m the best. I’ve done that everywhere else I’ve competed except ONE Championship. And now that I’m here for the long haul, I want to make that happen.”