Tye Ruotolo's respect for Adrian Lee only grew after their grueling lightweight MMA battle at ONE Fight Night 35, as the submission grappling world champion acknowledged that his defeated opponent lived up to every bit of the hype surrounding their encounter.The 22-year-old secured his first MMA victory in his debut with a second-round rear-naked choke, but the path to that submission finish proved far more challenging than his pre-fight predictions suggested.Lee's well-rounded skills and relentless pressure tested every aspect of Ruotolo's game throughout their thrilling clash at Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, September 5.In the post-fight presser with members of the media, Tye Ruotolo offered his honest assessment of Lee's comprehensive skillset after experiencing it firsthand during their lightweight tilt.The Costa Rica-based martial artist said:"[Lee is an] absolute scrapper. Super formidable opponent, for sure. You know, he's good everywhere. He's got good striking, good grappling—and that's why I called him out," the Costa Rica-based martial artist shared.He further continued:"I knew it wasn't going to be an easy match, and I'm just super stoked to be able to get the win. And I pray he's alright, and he makes a fast recovery. I'm sure he's got a bright career ahead of him, no matter what, for sure."The victory validated the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion's bold transition from pure grappling to mixed martial arts while earning him a $50,000 performance bonus.That said, per his assessment, his matchup against Lee in the all-encompassing sport clearly provided valuable lessons about the unique challenges of MMA. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostTye Ruotolo doesn't want to be too far behind twin brother Kade in MMAWhile his determination to tackle MMA stemmed from his own quest for growth, Tye Ruotolo revealed that his friendly rivalry with twin brother, ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo, played a similar role.During the same press conference, Ruotolo said:"I had to get competitive with him and make sure that he wasn't too far ahead of me, you know, how it is having a twin. It sucks when he's too far ahead in one department."North American fight fans can witness this lightweight thriller and the entire ONE Fight Night 35 card via replay for free on Amazon Prime Video.