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ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo is growing impatient for his return to action this Friday, May 2.
That evening inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium, the American submission specialist renews his rivalry with Canadian wizard Dante Leon in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31.
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JitsMagazine caught up with the 22-year-old to discuss all things related to his second world title defense in Bangkok, Thailand. Tye Ruotolo, who has spent almost a year on the sidelines due to an injury, had this to say on his eagerness to resume his campaign in the promotion:
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"I can't wait. Got my ONE title defense coming up shortly. I was out of commission for a little bit, and I'm chomping at the bit to be back in action."
Their upcoming 10-minute fixture will be the pair's third meeting over the past couple of years—their first under the ONE Championship banner.
Leon edged Ruotolo in their first meeting back in February 2020, but the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion evened the scales with an impressive submission finish in their redo the following year.
Both men head into their rubber match on impressive winning streaks in the promotion, but one of their perfect records will have to go when they fight for 26 pounds of gold in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31.
Watch his full interview with JitsMagazine here:
Tye Ruotolo names his toughest test in ONE Championship
During the same exchange with JitsMagazine, Tye Ruotolo listed out the toughest assignment of his ONE Championship tenure.
The 22-year-old Atos representative did not waste any time deciding which amongst his seven opponents challenged him the most, as he shared:
"I would have to go with Jozef Chen—would be my toughest test so far. At the time, just didn't necessarily have the best performance, not to take anything away from him. He's solid and has great technique. And I would say that was the toughest match I had."
ONE Fight Night 31 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada on May 2.
