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ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo defended his 26-pound golden belt against his rival Dante Leon in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31 on Friday evening in front of the packed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ruotolo and Leon wanted to break the tie in their head-to-head score and prove they are the undisputed king of the weight class. Furthermore, both BJJ savants aimed to extend their immaculate record in the world's largest martial arts organization.
See the blow-by-blow action of this submission grappling championship showdown.
Round 1: Both athletes gauge each other by pushing each other in the opening phase of the match. Ruotolo secured a double-leg takedown attempt less than a minute into the match before quickly getting the side control.
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Leon scrambled and got out of trouble to return to the half guard position. Over two minutes into the match, Leon attacked Ruotolo's legs from behind, but Ruotolo countered with a leg lock of his own.
Ruotolo exploded and momentarily had the side control, but Leon defended well. No catches are still not awarded to either fighter halfway into the match, but Ruotolo is still in the top position while Leon was on his back during this stretch.
Leon and Ruotolo scrambled on the ground until the former got the side control again. With three minutes left, Ruotolo invited Leon to take his right leg, but he never took the bait and instead patiently waited for another opportunity.
The defending world champion continued to be aggressive in the last two minutes, but Leon got a grip of Ruotolo's leg at the last minute of the match, but failed to produce any major threats.
With seconds left in the match, Ruotolo and Leon went crazy with explosive movements, but eventually, they didn't score a catch or threaten with a submission.
ONE Fight Night 31 - Tye Ruotolo vs. Dante Leon official result
Tye Ruotolo successfully fended off the challenge of Dante Leon during the co-headliner of ONE Fight Night 31 on Friday evening inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with a masterful unanimous decision victory.
The 22-year-old phenom's aggressiveness throughout the showdown was on full display, and despite not having a clear submission threat or scoring any catch, he was awarded the victory for his constant pursuit of submission.
This was Ruotolo's second defense of his 26-pound golden belt and is now up 2-1 in his head-to-head score with his Canadian rival.
Tye Ruotolo defeated Dante Leon via unanimous decision in their ONE welterweight submission grappling world title match.
