"I'm ready" - Tye Ruotolo says he doesn't 'have anyone in mind' other than surging phenom Adrian Lee in possible MMA debut

BJJ superstar Tye Ruotolo has been itching to make his MMA debut in ONE Championship as he sees his twin brother, Kade, thrive in the sport with three straight victories.

The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion even named his dream matchup for his maiden outing in mixed martial arts, and he revealed this during a recent interview with the promotion:

"I'm ready for Adrian, I don't really have anyone in mind. That's the first one they threw at me, so that's the first name I'm sticking with. But whoever they want to throw at me, I'm ready to go, I'm excited to scrap, for sure."

'The Phenom' also enjoys success under the world's largest martial arts organization, with three successive submission finishes of Antonio Mammarella, Nico Cornejo, and Takeharu Ogawa. During this stretch, Lee also won three $50,000 performance bonuses.

Meanwhile, Ruotolo is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Dante Leon from their championship showdown at ONE Fight Night 31 last May 2 to retain his 26-pound golden belt.

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Tye Ruotolo looks to showcase his striking prowess in his inevitable MMA debut

Following another successful title defense, the 22-year-old American spoke to veteran journalist Nick Atkin in a post-fight interview about how his striking skills can surprise everyone.

According to Ruotolo, he has been honing this aspect, and he can't wait to display it when he makes his MMA debut, as he proclaimed:

"But I know that watching my brother fight his last few matches, it's pretty obvious that his striking is up there. It's not better than the guys he was going against, you know. And I like to think that my striking is at the same level. So we're going to see, hopefully, I'll surprise you guys."

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action at ONE Fight Night 31 via the free event replay.