“He's one of the best in the world” - Tye Ruotolo acknowledges Dante Leon as one of the biggest threats to his reign

Familiarity among top athletes is quite common, especially in the elite level of submission grappling, and so are rematches. But not every repeat matchup carries the weight that Tye Ruotolo vs Dante Leon does at ONE Fight Night 31, where there sits 26 pounds of gold on the line.

Ruotolo and Leon are very well-acquainted at this point. With two prior meetings and one win each in the running score, they both know just how much of a threat the other is.

Credit where credit is due, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion acknowledges Leon's skills and achievements.

"Dante is one of the best in the world," Ruotolo said. "He just submitted Mica Galvao. He's one of the best in the world for his size, and so am I."

It's less of a promotion and more of recognition. Heading into their trilogy and first promotional fight, the champ is sure not to let his guard down against the long-time rival.

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Tye Ruotolo expects his and Dante Leon's evolved arsenal to be on display at ONE Fight Night 31

Grapplers adapt to the demands of competition, sharpening details, adjusting timing, and finding new, reliable weapons in what were once seen as low-percentage techniques.

With both Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon at the highest level of submission grappling, the reigning champ expects this to be the case for both of them in their title match in Bangkok.

"Even with Dante, it's hard to change a bunch as a grappler, you know? I know I'm more well-rounded than I was back then, a little bit," he said. "My guard's a bit better for sure. I'm sure he's made the same changes, even the ankle locks have been coming back in style."

Tye Ruotolo will be defending the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title against challenger Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2. Fight fans in Canada and the United States can catch the action with an active Prime Video subscription.