ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo has made it clear that while his MMA debut remains on the horizon, his complete attention is currently focused on his upcoming trilogy bout with Dante Leon.
The American superstar locks horns for the third time against the Canadian ground game wizard—their first meeting under the ONE Championship banner—in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31 inside the revered Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
“So, as soon as I get past this next match—I’m not looking past Dante. Full focus on Dante right now. But once we get past him, we’ll get a match booked real soon. Looking forward to it for sure,” Tye Ruotolo told JitsMagazine regarding his transition to the all-encompassing discipline.
Watch his interview with JitsMagazine here:
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Ruotolo returns inside the legendary venue on May 2 with his radar locked on taking his pristine record in the promotion to 8-0.
The 22-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt spent a large chunk of 2024 rehabilitating from a knee injury shortly after his scrap against Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Night 23 in July.
Now, back at full fitness, the Costa Rica-based martial artist is ready to remind the world that when it comes to submission grappling, not many can hold a candle to what he brings to the table.
When he’s done defending his throne, expect him to waste no time in search of his professional MMA bow.
Dante Leon anticipating an ‘explosive battle’ vs Tye Ruotolo
In the opposite corner, Dante Leon is looking to do what no man has done on the global stage: beat Tye Ruotolo.
While the Canadian grappling powerhouse remains upbeat about his chances, he knows walking out of the Mecca of Muay Thai with 26 pounds of gold will be no easy task.
“I can’t predict anything at the moment, but I guarantee it will be an explosive battle. That’s all I can say,” Leon shared with Cageside Press when asked about his prediction for this fight.
ONE Fight Night 31 will be available to fight fans in the United States and Canada with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. The May 2 spectacle broadcasts live in U.S. primetime.
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Edited by Tejas Rathi
