Tye Ruotolo looks to show that he’s the best grappler in the world in his weight class: “I always want to prove myself”

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo of the United States wants to prove that he is the best grappler in his weight class, even as he makes his highly anticipated MMA debut at ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger next weekend.

The 22-year-old grappling phenom will face Singaporean-American star ‘The Phenom’ Adrian Lee in an all-American showdown at Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium on September 5.

While Ruotolo has dominated the submission grappling world alongside twin brother, reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo, he still has ambitions of proving himself against the sport's biggest names, including Gordon Ryan.

When asked about potential future matchups against elite grapplers like Gordon Ryan, Ruotolo told Clocked N Loaded:

"You know, I just, I always want to prove myself against the best. I always thought that I could beat Gordon, you know, so I always wanted a crack at him, you know."

Still, Ruotolo needs to remain focused on the task at hand. Defeating Gordon Ryan is one thing, but beating Adrian Lee in MMA is a completely different task, equally as challenging.

ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Prime Video will go down live at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand and will stream in U.S. primetime on Friday, September 5. Fans in North America can catch all the action on Prime Video.

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Tye Ruotolo says potential showdown with Gordon Ryan showdown highly unlikely: “I know his health isn't in the best of shape”

Though Tye Ruotolo still wants to face Gordon Ryan on the mats in the future, the 22-year-old believes that may be highly unlikely due to several factors.

He told Clocked N Loaded:

“It's tough right now. I know his health isn't in the best of shape, you know. I know he's been going through a lot of health stuff with his stomach and all that. So, I really don't know how many opportunities I'm going to get to be able to scrap with him. But I'm down. I know I wanted to take down Gordon before I die, no matter what.”

Check back with Sportskeeda MMA for more updates on Tye Ruotolo.