ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo had the final say in his trilogy bout with fierce Canadian challenger Dante Leon this past weekend, defending his crown to settle the score at 2-1.
The American standout controlled his decorated foe over the 10-minute battle at ONE Fight Night 31 this past Saturday, 3rd May, to earn the unanimous decision win and take his winning streak in ONE to eight in a row.
Given their series has spanned three fights and five years, Ruotolo and Leon have unsurprisingly become quite familiar with each other, both personally and professionally, and the welterweight submission grappling king expressed nothing but admiration for his old rival when the curtain came down inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
“Dante’s been in the game for a long time. He’s a seasoned veteran, and he’s got wins over some of the best in the world. After three matches like that, you can’t help but have a lot of respect for the guy, win, lose, or draw,” Ruotolo explained.
“And he’s a cool guy. Before the match, he’s obviously your biggest enemy, and after, he’s normal. He’s cool. I got nothing but respect for Dante.”
Even after eight straight wins in ONE Championship, Ruotolo remains hungry for action. But seeing as the 22-year-old has effectively cleared out all competition in the submission grappling ranks, he may have to look elsewhere to find it.
Ruotolo’s twin brother, ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade, switched to MMA last year and has since amassed a 3-0 record, which has led Tye to consider a similar move.
The California native not only alluded to his preparation for this new journey, but he also suggested an opponent for his first fight in the form of the unbeaten younger sibling of two-weight ONE MMA king Christian Lee and former ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Angela Lee, Adrian.
“Very soon. Just working on some logistic side of things, but I can’t wait to scrap. I’m ready to go,” Ruotolo beamed.
“The Lee fight sounds interesting. Adrian Lee for the debut would be awesome. Whoever [ONE] wants to throw my way, I’m ready to go, I’m excited to scrap, for sure.”
