Tye Ruotolo successfully defended his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship against familiar foe Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31, earning a unanimous decision victory in their trilogy bout at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Despite dominating the contest on May 3, the 22-year-old phenom rated his performance as just "a six or seven" out of 10, lamenting his inability to secure a submission finish within the 10-minute time limit.
"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," Ruotolo said post-fight.
"I definitely feel like I got a dominant win, so I was happy with that at least."
This marked the third time Ruotolo has faced Leon, with the grappling prodigy acknowledging his opponent's resilience.
"He's a very safe fighter, so it's hard to expose him sooner in the match than later," Ruotolo said. "If I had a couple more minutes, I feel confident that I would have gotten the catch."
While continuing his reign in submission grappling, Ruotolo confirmed exciting news about his fighting future—an MMA debut is imminent.
"Very soon. Just working on some logistic side of things, but I can't wait to scrap. I'm ready to go," Ruotolo said, naming Adrian Lee as a potential first opponent.
"The Lee fight sounds interesting. Adrian Lee for the debut would be awesome."
When questioned about his striking abilities ahead of his MMA crossover, Ruotolo remained confident yet humble.
"It's definitely not the best, but it's not too bad either. I'm excited to utilize it," Ruotolo said, comparing himself to his twin brother Kade, who has already made a successful transition to MMA.
Ruotolo assured fans he'll continue defending his grappling title alongside his new MMA venture, stating he's always ready to defend the crown against any challenger. All Ruotolo needs, for MMA or his next title defense, is an opponent and a date.
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