“Those are the guys who I'm looking to go after” - Dante Leon acknowledges Kade and Tye Ruotolo as the top dogs in grappling

In today's submission grappling landscape, the Ruotolo brothers sit on top of the mountain. Everyone knows it, especially the challenger to the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title, Dante Leon.

With his world title shot against reigning champ Tye Ruotolo fast approaching, the Canadian standout made it clear that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

Speaking with Cageside Press ahead of his ONE Fight Night 31 appearance, Leon opened up about his thoughts on the Ruotolo twins:

"Kade and Tye for a long time—for a long time, Tye was the best guy in the world, and then now Kade has kind of stepped in and got that since the CJI event".

"But going into CJI, Tye was considered to be like the scariest grappler under 185 pounds for like four years straight. Those are the best guys in the world. Those are the guys who I'm looking to go after and beat."

Check out the full interview below:

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“He’s a hard guy to put away” - Tye Ruotolo admits it’s challenging to find openings in Dante Leon’s guard

Tye Ruotolo knows the fighter standing across him very well. They've shared the mats twice already, and they have one point each in their ongoing rivalry. Leon is a tough nut to crack - Tye says so himself.

Ruotolo said:

“I remember he was strong and flexible, and he’s very safe. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s well-rounded, so he’s a hard guy to put away. But that’s why I’m trying to think of some more creative things as of late to get through that little shell.”

The tension is real, but so is the mutual respect. Tye Ruotolo vs Dante Leon will feature as the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2. Stream it live on Prime Video with an active subscription.