“I'm a lot different now” - Dante Leon looks back at his growth as a grappler since last meeting with Tye Ruotolo

We are counting down the hours to Dante Leon and Tye Ruotolo's trilogy fight, and the first one under the ONE Championship banner. With a rivalry spanning nearly three years, a lot has changed for both contenders.

In a sport like BJJ, where small adjustments can change everything, the Leon and Ruotolos who met on the mats back then are very different from the ones about to clash now.

"It took me a really long while to be able to catch back up and get there," Leon told ONE Championship. "And then once I did, it just really wasn't enough."

According to Leon, he's grown more since 2021 than in the last 12 years before that:

"So, you know, now as the athlete that I am with the mindset that I have and the work that I've done as far as my jiu-jitsu, as far as competing, the amount of experience I've had since 2021 is probably more between, 2021 and now than it's been in the last 12 years before that I've done jujitsu and competed. So, yeah, I'm a lot different now."

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"It's crazy to think about how far we've come" - Dante Leon reflects on longtime rivalry with Tye Ruotolo ahead of trilogy

Dante Leon and Tye Ruotolo have been dancing around each other for years. What started as a matchup between two rising grapplers has turned into a full-blown rivalry - and now, going into their third outing, the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title is on the line.

"It's over three years really - at least two, three years since we've gone against each other," Leon reminisced. "So it's crazy to think about how far we've come and see the huge changes in me and him, which should be here in the fight. I'm excited."

ONE Fight Night 31 takes place on May 2, 9 PM Eastern Time. Watch it live on Prime Video with an active subscription.