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ONE Championship newcomer Jozef Chen said he is enjoying his first-ever fight week experience and, more importantly, settling well ahead of the biggest match of his martial arts career to date.
The 19-year-old South African BJJ phenom will mix it up against ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in a catchweight (186 pounds) grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on July 5 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Jozef Chen shared how things have been like in the lead-up to his ONE Championship debut, saying:
"Everything's been smooth-sailing, like it's been very convenient, very easy, very nice, so yeah nothing to compain about."
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Watch the interview below:
The Tye Ruotolo-Jozef Chen clash is part of the 11-fight offering ONE Fight Night 23, which is headlined by the clash between South Korean Ok Rae Yoon and Turkish fighter Alibeg Rasulov for the interim ONE lightweight MMA world title.
ONE Fight Night 23 will be available live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Who is ONE Championship newcomer Jozef Chen?
South African Jozef Chen may be new to ONE Championship fans but he has been steadily making a name for himself in BJJ, enough fo him to be signed by the promotion.
Born to a South African/German mother and Taiwanese father, he dipped his hands in jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai at an early age but it was in the former where he found his niche.
He is currently training with B-Team Jiu Jitsu in Austin, Texas, where he continuously honing his skills with good results.
Jozef Chen has competed primarily in the ADCC and boasts of an 18-4 record, with 13 of his wins, including the last four, coming by way of finishes.
As a professional, among his noted achievements is winning Breakthrough Athlete Of The Year - Flo Awards (2023), first place ADCC European Trials (2023) and third place ADCC Asia & Oveania Trials (2022).
Now competing in ONE Championship, Chen hopes to continue to evolve as a fighter in front of a far bigger audience.
His first outing will have him pitted against ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in a catchweight (186 lbs) grappling showdown on ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs Rasulov on July 5 in Thailand.
