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Long before he had ONE Championship gold wrapped around his waist, Tye Ruotolo was being forged in the crucible of competition with a mindset that knew nothing of defeat.
Now, as he prepares to defend his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title against a familiar foe in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31, the 22-year-old touched on the championship mentality that he and twin brother Kade have carried since their earliest days on the mats.
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"We go there just expecting to win no matter what, you know," Tye Ruotolo told ONE Championship. "And back then, we were pretty good, you know. We were actually backing it up. And so I just take that same kind of thought process."
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The mental fortitude that Tye Ruotolo and his brother developed from their earliest competitions continues to fuel their ascent on submission grappling's grandest platform, setting a standard for what it means to think like a champion before becoming one.
Together, they have amassed undefeated runs in the discipline with a combined 13-0 record. Like Tye, Kade owns 26 pounds of gold in ONE Championship.
Tye's championship mindset will be put to the ultimate test once more when he faces Dante Leon in their trilogy bout at ONE Fight Night 31 inside the Lumpinee Stadium on May 2.
But just as he has done over the years, the Atos martial artist heads into this bout with the same mental fortitude that has taken him to the very pinnacle of the sport from his formative years.
Tye Ruotolo says confidence is restored in injured knee ahead of ONE Championship return
Tye Ruotolo, who missed out on a large portion of 2024 due to injury, is at full strength ahead of his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title defense.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, in the same interview with ONE Championship, discussed the knee injury that forced him onto the sidelines and how it has recovered in time for his trilogy against Dante Leon:
"I got some stem cells, which was awesome. Other than that, I was just surfing, making sure the knee was strong. I needed to get faith in my knee again. After a couple of months, I knew the ligaments were probably most likely healed for the most part, and I had faith in the knee again," the 22-year-old phenom said.
ONE Fight Night 31 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America live in U.S. primetime for free on May 2.
