Dante Leon

Black belt career 2017–2020 In June 2017, Leon was promoted to black belt by Júlio César Pereira and Oliveira, On February 1, 2020, at Kasai Pro 7, Leon defeated Renato Canuto via points.

2021–2022 In 2021, Leon finished second of No-Gi World after losing to Marques by referee decision in the final.

At the 2022 ADCC World Championship, Leon defeated Magid Hage and Mateusz Szczecinski before losing to Micael Galvão in the semi-finals. He won the bronze medal match by defeating PJ Barch. Leon was then booked to compete at Who's Number One 18: Meregali v Marinho on May 18, 2023, against Ruan Alvarenga. Leon won the match, submitting Alvarenga with a rear-naked choke. Leon competed in the IBJJF Indianapolis no gi Open on June 18, 2023, and won a gold medal in the medium-heavyweight division.

Leon competed against Ethan Crelinsten for the vacant WNO lightweight title at Who's Number One 19 on August 10, 2023. He won the match by submission and became the new WNO lightweight world champion. Leon then entered the super-heavyweight division of the IBJJF No Gi Pan Championship 2023 on October 1, 2023, and won a gold medal. Leon then won the no gi middleweight division at the IBJJF Nashville Fall Open 2023 on November 12, 2023.

Leon represented Team Modolfo in the under 76kg division at AIGA Champions League Final 2023 on December 13 and 14. He won his semi-final match by submission and his final match by submission to help Team Modolfo win the tournament. Leon was voted MVP of AIGA Season 2 as a result, and later won 'Male Grappler of the Year (No Gi)' at the JitsMagazine BJJ Awards 2023.

2024 Leon was booked to defend his WNO lightweight title against Diego 'Pato' Oliveira at Who's Number One 22 on February 9, 2024. He was submitted with a heel hook and lost the title.

Leon competed in the IBJJF No Gi Absolute Grand Prix on February 29, 2024. He beat Elder Cruz in the opening round before losing to eventual champion Kaynan Duarte in the semi-final. He then won a gold medal in the middleweight division and a silver medal in the absolute division at the IBJJF No Gi American National Championship 2024 on June 29, 2024.

Leon was then invited to compete in the 2024 ADCC World Championship on August 17-18, 2024. He lost on points to Elijah Dorsey in the opening round. Leon returned in the men's absolute division, where he beat Michael Perez and Micael Galvão before losing to Kaynan Duarte in the semi-final. He then beat Giancarlo Bodoni in the third-place match to win a bronze medal.

Leon faced Andy Varela at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 on October 10, 2024. He won the match by submission.

Leon competed against Ellis Younger at Polaris 30 on November 2, 2024. He won the match by decision.

Leon then signed a contract to compete for ONE Championship from 2024 onwards. He made his debut against Bruno Pucci at ONE Fight Night 26 on December 6, 2024 and won the match by submission.

Leon faced Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 27 on January 10, 2024. He won the match via unanimous decision.

2025 Leon faced Tye Ruotolo for the ONE Championship welterweight title at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2, 2025. He lost the match via unanimous decision.

Leon represented Williams Elite Team at the AIGA Champions League finals 2025, going 2-1 as Williams Elite Team finished in second place.

Leon then defeated Marcio Andre on points to win the under 76kg title at ACBJJ 16 on June 19, 2025.

Grappling competitive summary Main Achievements as black belt:

Instructor lineage Lineage 1: Kanō Jigorō → Mitsuyo Maeda → Luis França > Oswaldo Fadda→ Monir Salomão → Júlio César Pereira → Dante Leon

Lineage 2: Kanō Jigorō → Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Helio Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Adilson Lima → Vitor Oliveira → Dante Leon