ONE Fight Night 31: “I don’t think he’s the most creative guy” - Tye Ruotolo says Dante Leon’s grappling is nothing out of the ordinary

“I don’t think he’s the most creative guy” - Tye Ruotolo says Dante Leon’s grappling is nothing out of the ordinary

Modified Apr 25, 2025 08:42 GMT

Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon - Photo by ONE Championship

Reigning and undisputed ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo is looking to get ahead of former adversary Dante Leon when the two meet in the ONE Championship ring next week.

The elite grapplers currently sit at one win apiece in their storied rivalry, but Ruotolo says he has evolved to the point that Leon is just another opponent to him.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Ruotolo talked about Leon's skills and why he feels the Canadian is not a threat.

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The 22-year-old superstar told ONE Championship:

"With that being said, I would say he’s not necessarily the most creative individual on the mat. Not to talk s*** or speak ill, I just don’t think he’s the most creative guy. But, yeah, he’s super smart. He’s technical. He’s tactical."

Ruotolo and Leon are set to throw down for the former's coveted gold in short order, and fans cannot wait to see the American back in action at the soonest possible time.

Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon run it back for ONE Championship gold at ONE Fight Night 31

22-year-old American jiu-jitsu savant Tye Ruotolo will put his ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship on the line against Canadian grappler Dante Leon.

The two trade submissions in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video, which will broadcast live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, May 2.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra