“I love that place so much” - Tye Ruotolo admits there’s pressure to put on a barnburner every time he competes at Lumpinee

Tye Ruotolo may be a Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist, but he feels right at home at the place many have called the Mecca of Muay Thai.

The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion is back in one of his favorite arenas when he defends his gold against Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31 on Friday, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Stadium.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo admitted that he feels a certain kind of pressure every time he steps between the ropes of the Bangkok arena.

The American superstar explained that he feels compelled to match the intensity of the Muay Thai or kickboxing matches to fully embrace Lumpinee Stadium's aura.

Tye Ruotolo said:

"Yeah. Every time. You know, that's one thing about that stadium, Lumpinee, in Bangkok. I love that place so much."

Ruotolo is a perfect 7-0 in ONE Championship, with four of his wins taking place under the bright lights of Lumpinee Stadium.

The 22-year-old also captured his first piece of ONE Championship gold in that stadium when he dominated Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title at ONE Fight Night 16.

He's since defended the throne against Izaak Michell after he submitted the Aussie grappler via rear-naked choke at ONE Fight Night 21.

Ruotolo now puts his world title on the line against two-time IBJJF No-Gi world champion Dante Leon in his next matchup inside the hallowed stadium.

ONE Fight Night 31 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Tye Ruotolo expects a tough assignment against Dante Leon's polished defensive game

Tye Ruotolo knows Dante Leon has one of the toughest defensive arsenals in submission grappling.

The two world champions are 1-1 in their head-to-head series before they arrived in ONE Championship, and these two matches provided Ruotolo with the blueprint to lay out his game plan against Leon.

Ruotolo told ONE Championship in an interview:

"I remember he was strong and flexible, and he’s very safe. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s well-rounded, so he’s a hard guy to put away. But that’s why I’m trying to think of some more creative things as of late to get through that little shell.”