Tye Ruotolo Pushes The Pace To Retain Submission Grappling World Title Against Dante Leon
American superstar Tye Ruotolo settled the score with longtime rival Dante Leon and retained his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title in U.S. primetime this past Friday, May 2.
The pair went head-to-head at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video, and this marked the trilogy match between the elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts.
Ruotolo exploded into a picture-perfect blast double-leg takedown early in the contest to secure top position and set the tone for the remainder of the encounter.
The titleholder pushed a high pace for several minutes, where he constantly flanked his adversary and looked to pass the guard. For his part, Leon defended well with incredible flexibility and inversions, but his guard would only hold up for so long.
With four minutes remaining, Ruotolo burst into a guard pass that landed him in a dominant position – the most significant moment of the match yet. But again, the Canadian hung tough and was able to recover his guard.
Ruotolo continued to keep the aggression at a fever pitch in the closing minutes, employing his trademark leg pin guard-passing and unique scrambling ability to force Leon on the defensive. The contest ended in a wild back-and-forth exchange, but ultimately, neither athlete was able to score a catch.
Following 10 minutes of action, their fate was in the hands of the ringside judges. Though it was a close battle, the American’s aggression and effective passing from top position was good enough to earn him the unanimous decision victory.
The win further cements Ruotolo, who is still only 22 years old, as one the planet’s best pound-for-pound competitors in the sport today and someone who is becoming an all-time great. He extended his pristine record in ONE to 8-0, pushed his career slate to 30-10, and successfully retained his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship.
After the match, Ruotolo revealed his plan to soon follow in the footsteps of his twin brother, ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo, and try his hand at MMA.
