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Tye Ruotolo believes Dante Leon is still peeved that he got him good the last time they competed against each other.
The pair of world-class grapplers currently own a victory over the other in their head-to-head, with Leon winning a decision in their first match, while Ruotolo got the submission in the sequel.
In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, the 22-year-old savant recalled when he caught the Canadian grappler with a crushing guillotine in a Who's Number One (WNO) event back in 2021.
"I remember, back at the Who's Number One championship, that was a really big competition. And I remember after I beat him, I could tell he was pretty pissed about it. I could tell he's been wanting to get this one back for a long time."
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Leon's frustrations are quite understandable since there were just 10 seconds remaining on the clock when Tye Ruotolo forced him to tap.
The Atos standout was able to pass the Pedigo Submission Fighting affiliate's guard with a smooth cartwheel pass and caught him with a beautiful mounted guillotine.
That said, Leon certainly wants his revenge, and he'll get that opportunity at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs Nong-O II on Prime Video on May 2.
If Leon succeeds, he can end Ruotolo's reign and leave Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, as the new ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion.
Tye Ruotolo acknowledges Dante Leon as a worthy adversary
While Tye Ruotolo relishes his last victory against challenger Dante Leon, he knows his rival has gotten much better since that last encounter.
The two-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion registered dominant victories over Bruno Pucci and Tommy Langaker to get his shot at 26 pounds of gold.
Ruotolo, though, remains unfazed. The youngest IBJJF world champion said in an interview with Combat Sports Today:
"On paper, he's got everything, right? So for sure, it’s gonna be another tough match. But, you know, my brother and I, like I said, we've been doing this since we were three years old."
ONE Fight Night 31 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
