“That won’t be the last of them” - Tye Ruotolo says he and Jozef Chen may cross paths again soon

American grappling ace Tye Ruotolo believes he has not seen the last of BJJ phenom Jozef Chen, whom he battled and defeated last week in Thailand.

The 21-year-old Atos standout was a unanimous decision winner over South Africa's Chen, 19, in a catchweight (186 pounds) submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Prime Video on July 5 in Bangkok's famed Lumpinee Stadium.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post following his victory, Tye Ruotolo spoke about his encounter with Chen, including how it could well be the start of many matches between them in and out of ONE Chamnpionship.

He said:

"Yeah, 100 percent. I think we got a comp coming up a little over a month, we're both in the same bracket. So I'm sure, you know, most likely we'll end up meeting up there. My brother's in that same bracket too, so maybe my brother will get to go with them. But either way, I'm sure that won't be the last of them, you know."

Watch the full interview below:

At ONE Fight Night 23, Tye Ruotolo, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, had himself a battle against promotion-debuting Chen. The two angled for position in the early goings of their 10-minute joust until the Californian executed a double-leg takedown.

He looked to pass guard from there but ONE-debuting Chen's defense held tough just as he employed his own counter-attacks.

But Ruotolo kept the pressure and aggression as the fight progressed, significantly shifting the tide in his favor en route to the hard-earned unanimous decision victory.

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Tye Ruotolo extends undefeated run in ONE Championship with latest victory

Tye Ruotolo made it seven wins in as many matches in ONE Championship following his latest triumph at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video on July 5 in Thailand.

The Atos standout made his promotional debut in May 2022 with a submission victory over fellow American fighter Garry Tonon. He then went on to get the better of many top fighters in various weight classes to establish his standing as among the noted faces of submission grappling in ONE.

His highest point to date was winning the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title with a unanimous decision victory over Russian Magomed Abdulkadirov.

Tye Ruotolo successfully defended his world title for the first time in April, forcing Australian challenger Izaak Michell into submission in their title clash.