“Lot's changed in the last three years” - Tye Ruotolo says Dante Leon has evolved as a grappler since their last encounter

It's been three years since Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon last faced off. Now, at ONE Fight Night 31, they'll meet again on the mats - this time, in the biggest martial arts promotion in the world, with a world title on the line, and the score tied at one apiece.

The contenders are two of the most technically sound, well-conditioned grapplers in the game. As for reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, he's keeping his guard up against his long-time rival.

Speaking with JitsMagazine ahead of fight night, he said:

"Dante—he's for sure a threat, no matter what, in every department. He's got a great guard, great wrestling. He's tactically very smart, doesn't make a lot of mistakes. And yeah, a lot's changed in the last three years, I'm sure."

Watch the full interview below:

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“I had an experience advantage” - Dante Leon looks back at his first matchup with Tye Ruotolo

Their first meeting is still fresh in world title challenger Dante Leon's mind, especially the way he approached it and how it played out. He believed pressure and control would be key, and honestly, it worked.

"He was young at the time. I figured I'd be able to deal with him as far as having a lot more physical strength than him, a lot more experience," Leon said. "Even though he's younger, he was younger than me as far as calendar years, but he had a lot of experience.

"I don't think he was that much less experienced than me, but I do felt like I had an experience advantage against him.

"I just kept pressure on him and was able to wear him down and beat him."

With one win each, there's no assurance that the same approach would work against a more experienced Ruotolo.

ONE Fight Night 31 takes place on May 2 at 9 PM EDT. Fight fans in Canada and the United States can stream the action live on Prime Video with an active subscription.