Tye Ruotolo says it’s going to be a war against Christian Lee for MMA title

The unbeaten 23-year-old would become the first ONE world champion in both MMA and submission grappling by taking the lightweight belt in Bangkok on Friday 6 November.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Tue 3 Nov, 15:12 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Post by @ONEChampionship on X

Tye Ruotolo has said he expects to leave Lumpinee Stadium with Christian Lee’s ONE lightweight MMA world title when the pair headline The Inner Circle 37 in Bangkok on Friday 6 November. The card is available exclusively to members of The Inner Circle.

Victory would make the American the first ONE world champion in both MMA and submission grappling. Ruotolo, 23, is 9-0 in the promotion’s submission grappling competition, having won the inaugural welterweight title and defended it three times, most recently against Pawel Jaworski.

Ruotolo said: “It’s going to be a war. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but I think I’m going to leave with the belt around my waist, and it’s going to be a gnarly night.” He has needed only two MMA fights to earn the shot, submitting Adrian Lee with a rear-naked choke in September 2025 and Shozo Isojima by the same method that November. Each win brought a US$50,000 performance bonus. Ruotolo said he had called out Christian Lee even before facing Adrian Lee, and he is confident his finishing ability will carry over.

He said: “I may have only had two MMA fights, but I truly feel if you put me on the other side of the ring with anybody close to my size, the odds of me ending the fight are very high.” Christian Lee presents a far sterner examination. He became the youngest male MMA world champion in 2019 when he won the lightweight title, then added the welterweight belt in 2022. Seventeen of his 18 wins have come inside the distance, and he holds ONE records for most wins, finishes and first-round stoppages.

Ruotolo and his twin brother, Kade, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, signed with the promotion in 2022 with MMA always part of the plan. Ruotolo said winning the belt would mean the world to him, because it would bridge the gap between being a jiu-jitsu stylist and a full martial artist.

Acknowledging that his MMA can still improve, he said: “However, I’ve never asked for a fight I never thought that I could win, and I’m not one to bite off more than I can chew.”