“Mission accomplished” - Tye Ruotolo shows nothing but respect for Dante Leon following gritty world title scrap in Bangkok

Tye Ruotolo arrived in Bangkok a world champion and left the Thai capital city with gold still firmly draped over his shoulder.

The reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion successfully retained his throne when he outclassed old rival Dante Leon via unanimous decision this past weekend at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

Taking to Instagram, Ruotolo wrote he was glad to defend his gold against one of this generation's best submission grapplers.

Ruotolo added that he couldn't be happier after sitting out for nearly a year due to injury.

He posted:

"Mission accomplished, 8-0. What a blessing it is to be healthy. Dante Leon is great, one of the best in the world. He called me out and I got to remind him there are levels to this. Much respect, thank you for the match."

Tye Ruotolo added:

"There have been lots of people helping me get back in action after facing the biggest injury of my life 9 months ago. So stoked/grateful to be back, thank you everybody!"

Ruotolo and Leon shared an underrated rivalry before they made their separate ways in ONE Championship.

The pair were 1-1 in their first two meetings, and their world title match in Bangkok presented them with the perfect opportunity to end their feud.

Ruotolo, though, got the better of the two-time IBJJF No-Gi world champion in their trilogy at ONE Fight Night 31.

The American superstar dictated most of the bout's offensive flow and forced Leon to fight from his guard throughout the 10-minute contest.

Ruotolo's constant aggression ultimately proved crucial on the judges' scorecards as he captured the unanimous decision win to maintain his perfect run in ONE Championship.

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Tye Ruotolo admits dealing with ring rust in world title defense over Dante Leon

Tye Ruotolo admitted he wasn't at his best when he defended his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title against Dante Leon in Bangkok.

The 22-year-old was sidelined for almost a year after suffering a knee injury at the Craig Jones Invitational in 2024.

In his post-fight interview, Ruotolo said he had to deal with ring rust when he squared off against Leon at ONE Fight Night 31.

"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."