How Tye Ruotolo Became a ONE Championship Star
With seven deserved wins from seven appearances in ONE Championship, Tye Ruotolo has established himself as one of the best submission grappling competitors in history.
Ruotolo is set to defend his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title against Canadian star Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II in the morning hours of Saturday, May 3.
Before he defends his belt against Leon at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium, we take a look at the reasons that have made Ruotolo an unstoppable force in ONE Championship.
1. Superhuman Pacing
The 22-year-old American star employs an ultra-aggressive grappling style, applying constant pressure and pace on his opponents. Ruotolo’s relentless approach may lead to a submission finish or to his opponent’s exhaustion.
2. Elite Takedown Skills
Ruotolo uses his elite takedown skills to dictate most of his bouts from the opening bell. The American star has used his dynamic explosive takedown game to set the tone in most of his bouts, including his promotional debut against Garry Tonon and his most recent victory over Jozef Chen.
3. Submission Variety
Ruotolo is a submission specialist who is best known for his D’Arce choke. However, he has a wide range of submission skills, scoring finishes via an armbar, a rear-naked choke and a unique “Ruotolotine” (an arm-in choke from the back) against top competitors in ONE Championship.
4. Scrambling Skills
The Atos representative seems to thrive in the most chaotic moments, and his top scrambling abilities to capitalize on the smallest of openings to reverse the challenger and take the mount position.
His wide variety of reactions make him an incredibly difficult puzzle to solve for his competitors.
5. He Seeks Difficult Challenges
The American star has continuously tested himself against dangerous opponents outside of ONE Championship and under a wide variety of rule sets.
After his successful ONE debut in May 2022, he put on the giand became the youngest-ever IBJJF Black Belt World Champion. Later that year, he earned bronze in the absolute division at the ADCC World Championships and put forth a strong showing at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational.
ONE Fight Night 31 kicks off at 4:00 AM Mecca on Saturday, May 3 and will be broadcast live via beIN SPORTS and watch.onefc.com.
