‘A Lot Of Respect For The Guy’ – Tye Ruotolo Reflects On World Title Win Over Longtime Rival Dante Leon

Tye Ruotolo scored a definitive unanimous decision victory over familiar foe Dante Leon to retain his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II, further cementing himself as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound ground fighters.

The 22-year-old American superstar showcased his skills on May 2 in U.S. primetime at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ruotolo pushed a torrid pace from the opening bell, securing a beautiful double-leg takedown before employing his relentless guard-passing game. That approach forced the Canadian challenger on the defensive for much of the 10-minute affair.

After the event, the titleholder reflected on his performance.

While Ruotolo was happy to earn the victory in his return from a serious knee injury – taking a 2-1 advantage in his rivalry with Leon – he was still disappointed that he couldn’t secure the finish:

“Out of ten, I’d maybe give it a six or seven. I felt like I kind of smashed him pretty good, but I didn’t get the sub. That’s what I always come to do.

I felt like I had a little bit of ring rust that I had to shake off. But I definitely feel like I got a dominant win, so I was happy with that at least.”

Although he passed Leon’s always-dangerous guard and found himself in dominant positions, Ruotolo was ultimately unable to threaten with a serious submission or score a catch.

In the bout’s closing minutes, he turned up the aggression another notch, jumping on a variety of leg locks in an attempt to solidify his victory.

In the end, Ruotolo felt that with just a little more time, he could have sealed the deal with a catch or a submission finish:

“He’s a very safe fighter, so it’s hard to expose him sooner in the match than later. I had maybe one little opportunity that I tried to hop on with an Estima lock and a couple of kneebars, but just nothing that was tight enough. If I had a couple more minutes, I feel confident that I would have gotten the catch.”

The two elite BJJ black belts – both long-regarded as mainstays of the pound-for-pound rankings – have now shared the mats for nearly 40 minutes of tense action.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Leon has done plenty to earn Ruotolo’s admiration. Now that the dust has settled on ONE Fight Night 31, it’s nothing but camaraderie between the longtime rivals:

“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.

“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.”

Ruotolo Says MMA Debut On The Horizon

Tye Ruotolo also confirmed his long-rumored plans to transition into mixed martial arts.

After watching his twin brother, reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo, go 3-0 in his burgeoning MMA career, Tye is now chomping at the bit to test himself in the all-around sport.

His MMA debut, he said, should be right around the corner:

“Very soon. Just working on some logistic side of things, but I can’t wait to scrap. I’m ready to go.”

When asked about potential opponents, Ruotolo mentioned a potential showdown with undefeated rising star Adrian “The Phenom” Lee, who is the younger brother to current two-division ONE MMA World Champion Christian Lee and former ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Angela Lee.

The Californian is excited about the prospect of testing his MMA skills against another young prodigy from a famous fighting family – or anyone else willing to throw down:

“The Lee fight sounds interesting. Adrian Lee for the debut would be awesome. Whoever [ONE] wants to throw at my way, I’m ready to go, I’m excited to scrap, for sure.”

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