ONE Championship: “I’m just chomping at the bit” - Grappling Tye Ruotolo says MMA transition is next after gritty title defense win over Dante Leon

Reigning and undisputed ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo of the United States has proven his dominance in the submission grappling realm time and time again. But now, the 22-year-old is itching to make his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut.

Ruotolo is coming off a successful world title defense against Canadian rival Dante Leon last weekend at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video, winning via unanimous decision.

Afterward, he spoke about his MMA transition and gave fans an update.

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Ruotolo told veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst 'The Dragon' Mitch Chilson in the ring after his fight:

"I can’t wait, I watched Kade have those three scraps and I’m just chomping at the bit to come in there now. It was so fun watching him, and yeah, we got a lot of fight in us."

Tye's twin brother, Kade, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, is currently a perfect 3-0 in MMA competition.

ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II was broadcast live from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, May 3. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Tye Ruotolo says he is 'ready' to make MMA debut in ONE Championship: "I’m really excited"

Tye Ruotolo is chomping at the bit to make his professional mixed martial arts debut and follow in the footsteps of twin brother Kade. In his in-ring interview last weekend at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video, Ruotolo told Mitch Chilson:

"I’m ready for my MMA debut pretty soon. As long as everything lines up, I’m really excited. I’d like to do it here in Lumpinee if I can."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Tye Ruotolo's next fight.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Subham