Tye Ruotolo ONE Fight Night 31: "Let's go ya animal" - Fans rooting for Tye Ruotolo in impending world title defense over old foe Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31

Many fans are showing Tye Ruotolo their support ahead of his defense of the ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship against longtime rival Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31 on Friday, May 2.

As they get set to write the third chapter in their long history, Ruotolo took to Instagram to share some photos of him and his team during the official media day for the event.

Check out the post below:

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In the comments section, the 22-year-old's most vocal fans made sure he knew that they were rooting him on, writing:

"Let's go ya animal."

"Let's go champ! 🌪️🌪️🌪️"

"Go, Tye, go! You've got this!"

"I'm still waiting for you to use the famous Bionic chicken wing on someone in a match 😂😂😂😂😂"

"Let's go champ 🔥🔥"

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

Aside from their world title tilt also serving as the rubber match for their head-to-head series that stands at one win apiece, Ruotolo's clash with Leon is a momentous one for the American Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) phenom.

Last August, the Atos star tore multiple ligaments in his right knee while competing in the -80kg division of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI). Fortunately, he did not need to undergo surgery, though he has been out of action since then.

ONE Fight Night 31 will be available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Tye Ruotolo cannot wait to return to the circle

Tye Ruotolo is sharing in the fans' excitement about his return to the circle after being sidelined for the past eight months.

He said the following in an interview with JitsMagazine:

"I can't wait. Got my ONE title defense coming up shortly. I was out of commission for a little bit, and I'm chomping at the bit to be back in action."

Watch the entire interview below:

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by C. Naik