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Tye Ruotolo has shared the mats with Dante Leon before and knows how tough the latter can be.
Then again, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion expects nothing less, knowing he'd only take on the best in the world in the world's largest martial arts organization.
Ruotolo will put his 26 pounds of gold on the line in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs Nong-O II on Prime Video on May 2 inside 'The Mecca of Muay Thai' Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Appearing in an interview on Combat Sports Today, the Atos standout praised Leon and admitted he is indeed a formidable and worthy challenger.
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"Yeah, 100% you know? I feel like, once you get to the highest levels, everyone is tough, and Dante is no different. He’s strong, he’s flexible, he’s well-rounded," he said.
Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon met twice outside the promotion and split their first two encounters. To be fair, both elite grapplers have evolved since then, and all gloves will be off in this high-stakes trilogy.
ONE Fight Night 31 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Watch the full interview:
Dante Leon chasing greatness in bid to unseat Tye Ruotolo
Through sheer grit and determination, Dante Leon earned himself a shot against one of the best pound-for-pound grapplers in the world today.
The Canadian wizard bested Bruno Pucci and former world title challenger Tommy Langaker and will now look to hand Tye Ruotolo his first defeat in ONE Championship.
In an interview with the promotion, Leon said he's simply reaping the fruits of the countless hours he spent honing his craft behind closed doors.
“It may take time. It may take some more money than you expected, some more time, stress, stress on you, stress on your other jobs, and stress on other people around you. But eventually, that will grow, and that will be a very, very special thing.”
