Tye Ruotolo does not believe Christian Lee is beatable by accident. He believes his camp has identified exactly where the two-division titleholder can be attacked.
Ruotolo challenges Lee for the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday, November 6, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He prepared alongside his twin brother, ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo, under the same coaching team that guided both men into MMA.
"It's been the classic recipe my brother and I have been using [for this camp], and I wouldn't change it for the world. We've got head coach Erik Paulson and Tyler Wombles, who have given us the best camps we could go through," Ruotolo said.
"So, yeah, I'm super grateful to have all of [their] knowledge and insight. And I definitely do see a couple of things that I hope to take advantage of during the fight."
The size of the assignment is clear. Lee became ONE's youngest male MMA World Champion in 2019, added welterweight gold in 2022, and is the promotion's all-time leader in wins and finishes.
Ruotolo enters with two professional MMA fights, both won by submission. His previous win was a rear-naked choke of Lee's younger brother, Adrian, at ONE Fight Night 35 in September 2025.
That result has given the bout a personal edge, with Lee openly framing it as revenge. Ruotolo has argued that the expectation of avenging his brother places more pressure on the titleholder than on him.
The challenger is also chasing history. A victory would make him the first ONE World Champion in both submission grappling and MMA.
He has not committed to a precise round, but he expects his grappling to decide the contest well before the championship rounds.
"This is another great opportunity to put all of my skills to the test against the bigger brother. I'm really excited, and I'm gonna do my absolute best to put him away quickly," Ruotolo said.
"It could arrive in the first round, or it could come in the second. It's going to end quick. It can definitely be a five-round war, but I think the odds of it ending in a couple of rounds, most likely with a submission, are a lot higher."
