A month ago, March 7, 2014 was just another date for Anthony Leone.
Leone may have spent the day training with Team Bombsquad to improve his skills in order to erase the memories of his last outing, a convincing loss to Rafael Silva, or he may have spent the evening watching the same Silva that beat him compete for the Bellator bantamweight strap against Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 111.
Now, the date March 7, 2014 is the most important one in Leone’s career.
News broke in early February that Silva suffered a knee injury, and that Eduardo Dantas would now defend his championship against Leone.
“When I first got the call that I was fighting Eduardo Dantas for the world title I think I almost pooped my pants,” Leone said. “I was shocked but I jumped at the opportunity right away.”
Because he’s coming off of a loss and hasn’t won a Bellator tournament, Leone is a heavy underdog for his fight against Dantas. According to BestFightOdds.com, the odds that a potential bettor can get on Anthony Leone for the bout ranges from +475 to +500.
Leone, who is only a few years removed from a poor stretch of fights in 2010 that saw him go 1-5, isn’t fooling himself about his underdog status.
“I feel like Rocky getting this title shot right now,” said Leone. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot right here.”
Even though Leone’s perception of victory is rather slim, he’s still confident in his ability to pull off an upset just like he did at Bellator 83 when he won a split decision against former Bellator bantamweight titleholder and current UFC fighter Zach Makovsky.
Prior to the loss to Silva that regressed his professional record to 13-6, Leone had an impressive stretch of four consecutive wins against opponents who have a combined record of 52-20. Leone believes that his recent success against that level of talent has provided him with valuable lessons that will come to fruition on Friday night.
“For the last three or four years I’ve been fighting nothing but the best competition out there,” Leone said. “I absolutely belong in that cage with Dantas and I know I can beat him.”
With all six of his finishes coming by way of submission, Leone has established himself as a skilled grappler, but he’ll look to flaunt some aspects of his stand-up arsenal in the bout against Dantas.
“The key to victory for me is to go out there and successfully mix up my striking with my takedowns. I think his overly aggressive style is going to create some openings for me that I will capitalize on.”
Leone is looking to follow in the footsteps of Tyson Nam, the last person to defeat Eduardo Dantas. On a Shooto Brazil card in 2012, Nam knocked Dantas out in the first round.
“I plan to go out there and knock Dantas out. All I’m focusing on right now is sticking to the game plan and knocking him out.”
Heading into this fight, Anthony Leone understands how big of an opportunity it is for to contend for a Bellator championship.
“This world title shot is a huge step in my career. It means a lot to my legacy as a fighter. This could change everything for me. I feel completely prepared mentally and physically to go out there and become a world champion.”