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With the series deadlocked at one victory apiece, Tye Ruotolo enters his Bangkok showdown with Dante Leon in search of a statement victory.
Thankfully, the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion – who puts his gold on the line in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31 – doesn't have to look too far for inspiration.
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Leon beat the Atos representative with a clear-cut decision win back in 2020, but Ruotolo's determination to get one back helped him exact revenge the following year.
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He's ready to bring the same style into their rubber match inside the Lumpinee Stadium, and ahead of their hotly anticipated showdown, Tye Ruotolo broke down how he was able to tap the Canadian grappling sensation in their rematch in 2021.
"I took him down a couple of times, passed the guard, put the pressure on him, and then, eventually, I got the Kata Gatami (arm-triangle) finish," the 22-year-old told ONE Championship.
Both men have carved impressive paths on the global stage since their last meeting.
The Costa Rica-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt owns a perfect 7-0 run in the promotion. Leon, on the other hand, has marched towards two victories in as many outings against Bruno Pucci and Tommy Langaker.
Tye Ruotolo is ready to produce a few surprises for upcoming tilt vs. Dante Leon
Tye Ruotolo has hit the ground running since inking a deal with ONE Championship, and he hopes to keep it that way come fight night.
Though he anticipates a tough world title defense on May 2, the American submission grappling sensation revealed that he has some tricks up his sleeve to give him an advantage over Leon.
"[I've been] just trying to come up with some new stuff, some new entries. And, yeah, I'm excited to start exercising them [in this fight] for sure," he told ONE Championship.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can witness this high-stakes showdown at ONE Fight Night 31 live in U.S. primetime for free on Friday, May 2.
