Mayssa Bastos, Cole Abate, and Dante Leon each picked up big wins at ONE Fight Night 26.
Last Friday, December 6, ONE Fight Night 26 featured a trio of high-level submission grappling bouts. The event took place at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
First, promotional newcomer Dante Leon lived up to his status as the clear-cut favorite over former MMA fighter and purple belt no-gi world champion Bruno Pucci. Leon took his foe’s back in the bout’s opening few seconds and, from there, turned in a clinical performance on his way to the finish.
After hunting for the rear-naked choke briefly, the Canadian transitioned to a shoulder lock from the back before securing the side triangle choke. Pucci defended the choke, but Leon was able to isolate his arm to find the armbar finish.
With the win, Leon put a cap on his solid year of competition in 2024 that saw him earn double gold at the IBJJF No-Gi American Nationals and pick up a third-place finish in the absolute division at the 2024 ADCC World Championships.
The victory also netted Leon a $50,000 performance bonus.
Later on in the card, 20-year-old phenom Cole Abate also made his ONE debut when he took on Japanese MMA and grappling veteran Shinya Aoki. Like Leon, Abate scored a dominant submission win.
The Art of Jiu-Jitsu product wasted little time in pulling Aoki into his closed guard before immediately attacking with a triangle choke. Aoki defended the choke, but Abate used that defense to transition into a leg entanglement. In a matter of seconds, the American locked onto the match-ending outside heel hook.
Long regarded as one of BJJ’s most highly touted prospects, Abate appears to have fully arrived on the elite black belt competition scene. In addition to his victory at ONE Fight Night 26, he won gold at the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Pans and will hunt for another first-place finish at the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds this weekend.
Like Leon, Abate took home a $50,000 performance bonus for his submission victory.
Later still in the card, reigning ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Mayssa Bastos picked up her second consecutive decision win over former titleholder Danielle Kelly to successfully defend her gold for the first time.
Bastos showcased her excellent yet rarely seen guard passing and top game through the contest’s opening few minutes, securing a clean leg drag pass before holding side control for nearly one minute. Kelly would escape and scramble to the top position, but the American was unable to advance her position in any meaningful way.
In the final minutes of the 10-minute clash, Bastos attacked from the front headlock position as she turned up the aggression. With just a few seconds remaining, she jumped onto a belly-down heel hook that earned her a “catch” – the primary deciding factor in ONE Championship submission grappling matches.
That catch ensured the victory for Bastos, who is now a two-time ONE world champion.
