“I wasn't feeling great” - Tye Ruotolo admits he had to dig deep in extremely close win over tough opponent Jozef Chef

Not every performance is about dominance. Sometimes, it's about grit. This is something Tye Ruotolo learned during last year's win against promotional newcomer Jozef Chen.

The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion wasn't exactly in peak form when he stepped onto the mats on ONE Fight Night 23. But even without feeling 100 percent, he found a way to get things done.

Speaking about the match with ONE Championship, he said:

"Just, like, trying to ground myself. And I did so, and I went and fought Jozef and had a decent match. I wasn't feeling great before the match, obviously, but I handled it. I did good enough. And, no matter what, I'm capable of going in and handling the job."

The night ended with a unanimous decision win for Tye Ruotolo. It's not the best outcome... but it's not too bad either.

Watch the full fight below:

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Tye Ruotolo reveals he wasn't 100 percent heading into Jozef Chen grappling war: "It has been affecting my nerve"

Looking back, Tye Ruotolo admits he dealt with struggles during the lead-up. A tough camp, a couple of sick days, and some lingering physical issues that affect him more than most realized.

"I can really just sit here and make a bunch of excuses. But just within my camp, I was sick for most of it. And even before the fight, I was feeling a bit off. I've been going through a couple of little neck things. It has kind of been affecting a little bit of my nerve, the vagus nerve."

These were invisible struggles he went through, but there's no backing out. Either way, he got the job done. With that win behind him and almost a year off the mats to recuperate, he's going into ONE Fight Night 31 in peak form.

ONE Fight Night 31 takes place May 2 at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. Watch it live with an active Prime Video subscription.