“I want it for sure” - Grappling savant Tye Ruotolo reiterates desire to fulfill MMA dream in ONE Championship

Tye Ruotolo is plotting a move to mixed martial arts before the end of the year. ONE Fight Night 31 saw the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion return to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok for a clash with BJJ rival Dante Leon.

After 10 minutes of back-and-forth action, Ruotolo saw his hand raised, scoring a unanimous decision to keep his gold and his undefeated record under the ONE banner intact.

What's next for Ruotolo remains to be seen, but if all goes according to plan, we'll see him strap on a pair of four-ounce gloves before 2025 comes to a close.

"Yeah, probably going to be next," Ruotolo said in an interview with Nick Atkin. "Got a couple of logistic things to work out, but I can't wait to do MMA. We're ready to scrap more than anything. So, probably first and foremost, MMA. I miss it. I want it for sure."

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Tye Ruotolo chomping at the bit to follow in his brother's footsteps

Of course, fans have already seen one Ruotolo brother make the move from the mat to the cage.

Last year, ONE lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo made his mixed martial arts debut and immediately wowed fight fans with an impressive first-round submission victory over Blake Cooper.

He's since added two more finishes to his resume, defeating Ahmed Mujtaba and Nicola Vigna—all in the first round and all by submission.

Will Tye Ruotolo find the same success in MMA that his brother has thus far? It sounds like we won't have to wait long to find out.

ONE Fight Night 31 will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2.