Tye Ruotolo to defend submission grappling gold against Canadian wizard Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31

Reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo steps back onto the global stage against a familiar foe at ONE Fight Night 31.

Emanating live from the revered Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 2 in U.S. primetime, the American megastar defends his coveted 26 pounds of gold against in-form Canadian ground game wizard Dante Leon.

Their single-round 10-minute war, the third meeting between the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, was announced on onefc.com earlier today.

When they first met on the mats back in 2020, Leon and Tye Ruotolo traded submission after submission in an all-action contest until the end.

As tough as the Atos representative was, the Pedigo Fighting Submission man's aggression and IQ helped him gain a win on the scorecards.

It didn't end sweetly for Leon when they locked horns about 12 months later. This time, Tye Ruotolo beat the 29-year-old at his game on his way to a sumptuous guillotine choke finish.

With the scores tied at one apiece and both men firmly establishing themselves as experts on the canvas, their trilogy inside the Mecca or Muay Thai should be all gas and no brakes.

Find out who comes on top when these ground game technicians go toe-to-toe at ONE Fight Night 31.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch all the action live and for free in U.S. primetime.

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Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon's form heading into this rubber match

Tye Ruotolo got the ball rolling on submission grappling's grandest stage with a 4-0 run against Garry Tonon, Marat Gafurov, Reinier de Ridder, and Dagi Arslanaliev.

That impressive steak, which included three submissions, soon earned him a shot at the discipline's inaugural welterweight crown.

The 21-year-old was at his sparkling best in that battle, outclassing European submission grappling champion Magomed Abdulkadirov on his way to 26 pounds of gold.

The Costa Rica-based fighter has since successfully defended his gold against Australian standout Izaak Michell before recording a win over Jozef Chen in their catchweight meet at ONE Fight Night 23 in July last year.

Leon, meanwhile, spots a 2-0 run in ONE Championship.

The 29-year-old, a two-time IBJJF No-Gi world champion, opened his account with an impressive submission win over ONE mainstay and fellow BJJ black belt Bruno Pucci in December 2024.

Slightly over a month later, at ONE Fight Night 27 this past January, he claimed a hard-fought unanimous decision over former ONE world title challenger and nemesis Tommy Langaker.