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ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo did not get the submission he was angling for in his latest match. He, however, was still satisfied with his performance and getting the win.
The California-based fighter successfully defended his championship belt at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video on May 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He defeated Canadian challenger Dante Leon by unanimous decision.
Ruotolo got to speak with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin following his victory and gave his honest take on his showing on fight night, sharing:
"Anytime you can get the sub, it's perfect, right? So, it wasn't perfect, but it was really good. Got it done for sure."
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Watch the interview below:
At ONE Fight Night 31, Tye Ruotolo was the aggressor throughout, looking to see his goal of a finish through. Leon, however, was topnotch with his defense in taking the match to the full route. But it in the end, it did not stop the American champion in making the huge impression and getting the judges' nod for the win.
It was the second successful title defense of Ruotolo since becoming ONE world champion in November 2023. The victory also swung the lead to his favor in his head-to-head matchup with Leon, 2-1, having fought twice previously outside of ONE Championship.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 31 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Tye Ruotolo says he had to deal with 'ring rust' at ONE Fight Night 31
Tye Ruotolo was impressive in his successful title defense at ONE Fight Night 31 but admitted he had to deal with "ring rust" following a longer-than-expected layoff because of injury.
He made the revelation in an interview with ONE Championship, highlighting that while he was every bit ready for his match against Dante Leon, it took a while before he got his game truly going.
"I felt like I had a little bit of ‘ring rust’ I had to shake off. But I definitely feel like I got a dominant win, so I was happy with that at least."
The match at ONE Fight Night 31 was the first for Tye Ruotolo since injuring his knee back in August outside of ONE Championship.
Now fully healed, he is looking forward to being active, defending his world title and taking on new challenges in ONE Championship, including transitioning to competing as well in MMA.
