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It's the perfect time for Tye Ruotolo's long-awaited mixed martial arts debut. The reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion successfully defended his throne against tough adversary Dante Leon in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2.
After passing with flying colors against his stiffest challenge yet, the 22-year-old BJJ savant is ready to embark on a new journey. In his in-ring interview, the Atos standout pretty much guaranteed that he'll be wearing the four-ounce gloves the next time we'll see him in the ONE Championship ring:
"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."
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Ruotolo has grown fond of 'The Mecca of Muay Thai' and, by the looks of it, he wants that MMA debut to take place inside the legendary arena.
If the youngest IBJJF world champion does take that plunge to MMA, he'll be joining his twin, ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo, who went 3-0 in his MMA transition.
There's no question that Ruotolo's grappling chops are superior to most 185-pound martial artists in the world. Now, it's time to see him use it to take the MMA world by storm.
Tye Ruotolo looked spectacular against Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31
With MMA in his future, Tye Ruotolo made sure to handle business first in the discipline he governs by retaining his belt against Dante Leon.
It was anything but easy for the 185-pound submission grappling king, who had to smash his way against the challenger's impenetrable guard for 10 minutes.
While the Canadian grappler had his moments, it was Ruotolo who controlled the action from start to finish, once again relying on his technical brilliance and suffocating pressure to get the unanimous decision nod.
The replay of Ruotolo's title defense, as well as the full ONE Fight Night 31 event, is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada
