Unbeaten teenage MMA star Adrian Lee has caught the attention of his peers since arriving in ONE Championship in June 2024, and the latest, most surprising mention of his name has come from reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo.
The American BJJ specialist successfully defended his crown in a trilogy bout with Canadian rival Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31 earlier this month to move to 8-0 in ONE, and he named Lee as a possible first opponent for his unconfirmed but much-anticipated move to MMA.
Though Ruotolo has shown time and again that he can get the job done in submission grappling, “The Phenom” made it clear that he would be biting off more than he can chew coming after him in the all-encompassing sport.
“Honestly, I was surprised when Tye Ruotolo called me out for his MMA debut. Personally, I don’t think I’m a good matchup for him. I don’t think I’d be what a good feeder for him is, if that’s what he’s looking for. But I’m excited for that match,” he said.
“I think that’d be a great fight. I think he’s a great athlete. Him and his brother, Kade, they’re phenomenal wrestlers and grapplers, and that really helps tie into their MMA game because of how dynamic they are. Their type of grappling style is more suited for MMA.”
This past March at ONE 172, Lee moved to 3-0 as a professional when he earned his third consecutive submission win via a second-round anaconda choke against Takeharu Ogawa.
It’s clear the 19-year-old has the killer instinct to succeed and the confidence to step up to a challenge. However, he took it a step further by claiming he could defeat both Tye Ruotolo and his brother Kade, who is the reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion, at their own game.
“I have the grappling skills. I believe that I could submit Kade or Tye Ruotolo in a grappling match,” Lee professed.
“Just adding that to my striking and wrestling skills, I really believe that I’d beat them everywhere.”
