Tye Ruotolo expects his highly anticipated world title tilt against Dante Leon to deliver the goods on Friday, May 2.
Emanating from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Ruotolo will put his ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship on the line against Leon at ONE Fight Night 31, airing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada.
It will be Ruotolo's second time defending his 26 pounds of gold, the first coming against Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21 last April. On that night, Ruotolo needed less than five minutes to put away the Aussie, extending his unbeaten streak and retaining his title in impressive fashion.
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Ruotolo hopes to deliver a repeat performance against Leon, but no matter how things shake out, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu star expects there to be fireworks when he steps inside the ring with the multi-time IBJJF gold medalist.
"But, yeah, I think it's gonna be a sick match for sure," Ruotolo said in an interview with the promotion. "I'm excited to see how it goes."
Dante Leon return is on the horizon
While Tye Ruotolo has been laid up the last several months healing from an injury, Dante Leon has been busy introducing himself to ONE Championship fans.
Late last year, the Canadian sent shockwaves through the BJJ world when he submitted Bruno Pucci just past the two-minute mark.
Less than a month later, he returned to martial arts' biggest global stage and put on a dominant performance against former two-time ONE world title challenger Tommy Langaker.
The victory put Leon in prime position to challenge Ruotolo for the welterweight division's top prize—an opportunity he'll look to capitalize on inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
ONE Fight Night 31 will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and Canada in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2.