ONE Championship has set a ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title clash for ONE Fight Night 41 on 14 March, with Tye Ruotolo defending his crown against Polish IBJJF standout Pawel Jaworski in a 10-minute showdown at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium.
The bout marks Ruotolo's return to submission grappling after spending the latter half of 2025 establishing himself in mixed martial arts, setting up an intriguing test against a hungry challenger making his promotional debut.
Ruotolo has been virtually unstoppable since arriving at ONE Championship in 2022.
The 22-year-old American announced his presence with authority, submitting veteran Garry Tonon in under two minutes in his debut performance. The statement victory launched a dominant run through the welterweight division.
The Californian systematically conquered big names like Marat Gafurov, Reinier de Ridder, and Dagi Arslanaliev to earn his championship opportunity. In November 2023, Ruotolo fulfilled his destiny by submitting Magomed Abdulkadirov to claim the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship.
Two successful title defenses against world-class opposition cemented Ruotolo's status among the pound-for-pound best submission grapplers in the sport. His perfect 10-0 promotional record includes eight submission grappling triumphs and two recent MMA victories.
Ruotolo's 2025 MMA journey captivated fans as he proved his submission prowess translates seamlessly across disciplines. His September debut saw him submit teenage sensation Adrian Lee, followed by another submission victory over Japan's Shozo Isojima in November.
Now returning to the discipline where he built his reputation, Ruotolo seeks to begin 2026 by defending the title that made him champion.
Jaworski represents a formidable challenge for the American's return to submission grappling. The 21-year-old Polish phenom captured the 2025 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship and claimed double gold at the IBJJF No-Gi Euros, establishing himself as one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's most exciting young competitors.
A successful title defense would push Ruotolo's promotional record to 11-0 while maintaining his grip on the welterweight submission grappling throne. For Jaworski, shocking the champion in his promotional debut would instantly vault him into the sport's upper echelon.
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