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ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo made a successful MMA debut at ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Sept. 5. He did it with an impressive and convincing second-round submission victory over erstwhile streaking teen phenom Adrian Lee.
The 22-year-old Atos standout showcased how well prepared he was for his maiden MMA outing in ONE Championship, taking steady control of the contest right at the onset.
Ruotolo made early inroads by putting Lee in a body lock to get on top and unleash a flurry of significant strikes. Lee tried desperately to fend off the assault and was successful as the opening round drew to a close, able to take the match standing up.
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In the second round, the two fighters went back-and-forth with their striking and had their shining moments. Tye Ruotolo then could take the match to the ground again with a double-leg takedown, from which he made his way to finishing the contest, eventually sinking a rear-naked choke and forcing Lee to tap out at the 4:14 mark of the canto.
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ONE Championship shared the full fight on its official YouTube channel for fans to relive.
Check out the video below:
The win at ONE Fight Night 35 was made doubly special for Ruotolo as he also received a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
ONE Fight Night 35 took place at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Its full replay is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Tye Ruotolo says he wants to do both jiu-jitsu and MMA moving forward
Expect Tye Ruotolo to compete in both jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts after a highly successful MMA debut at ONE Fight Night 35.
He made it known during the press conference following his submission win over Adrian Lee, highlighting that the victory only made his confidence grow that he can do both martial arts disciplines at the same time.
"I haven’t really thought that far, but I just know that I want to do both for sure. I want to keep winning in MMA. I don’t care to have a whole bunch of fights."
Ruotolo has long eyed transitioning to MMA, part of his goal of further testing himself and growing as a fighter. He has followed the lead of his twin brother and ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, Kade Ruotolo, who started competing in MMA last year and has been undefeated in three matches to date.
