‘The match is gonna be over pretty quick’ – Tye Ruotolo predicts fast finish of Dante Leon
Tye Ruotolo spoke about his upcoming ONE world title defense against Dante Leon on May 2, 2025, at ONE Fight Night 31.
Current ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo is confident that he’s simply too much for Dante Leon to handle.
On Friday, May 2, at ONE Fight Night 31, Ruotolo will put his belt on the line against Leon in what will mark the third meeting between the two elite grapplers.
They first collided in early 2020 at Grapplefest, when the Canadian earned a decision win after 15 minutes of high-paced action. Looking back at that match, Ruotolo admitted that while Leon was able to achieve some dominant positions, he felt him slowing down in the contest’s final minutes.
Additionally, Ruotolo recalled being impressed by Leon’s defensively sound game. In an interview with ONE Championship, he explained:
“I was young when we fought back then. That was a long time ago now. I knew it was gonna be a super tough match… I think I was a blue belt at the time, maybe, like, 16. So I was pretty young, and we had a scrap, for sure. I remember being in his face back and forth.
“And then, I think he got past my guard towards the middle of the match, and positionally, he was a little bit more dominant. It was back and forth. I felt like, mentally, I almost won. I could tell he was tired, and he was breaking. I had a lot more in the tank, but he got a couple better positions during the match, so he ended up getting the win.
“I remember he was strong and flexible, and he’s very safe. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s well-rounded, so he’s a hard guy to put away. But that’s why I’m trying to think of some more creative things as of lately to get through that little shell.”
The following year, at the Who’s Number One championships, Ruotolo evened the score, winning the majority of the exchanges before submitting Leon in the final seconds of the 15-minute match. He would go on to claim the WNO welterweight title.
Since their first two bouts, both athletes have firmly established themselves among the pound-for-pound top 10. Ruotolo is the youngest-ever IBJJF black belt world champion in the gi, an ADCC absolute bronze medalist, and undefeated across seven matches in ONE Championship.
For his part, Leon has racked up WNO victories across multiple weight classes, continued to enjoy success on the IBJJF no-gi circuit, and in 2024, defeated Mica Galvao and Giancarlo Bodoni to claim third place in the absolute division at the ADCC World Championships.
Ruotolo knows that both he and Leon have improved immensely over the past few years. In particular, he’s focused on developing his headlock game and, importantly, has put in efforts to score more quick submission finishes:
“I know my wrestling’s gotten a bit better, and, hopefully, my headlocks have gotten a bit better. I’ve been putting a lot of effort and a lot of attention into that, and I think my headlocks and my head attacks have gotten significantly sharper for sure.
“I’m going for a lot of those quick kills and try not to drag my opponent in the deeper waters before I get the finish. I want to be able to get in and get out, you know, I want to be on the mat longer than I need to.”
Against Leon, Ruotolo admitted that the submission certainly won’t come easily. While he lauded his opponent’s defensive prowess and ample physical tools, he feels that Leon is lacking in a certain creativity.
Ruotolo explained how he views Leon as a grappler:
“He’s super well-rounded. He’s very smart in the sense of where he’s hard to set up. He doesn’t really fall for any traps. He’s very secure. He’s stable. He’s explosive when he wants to be. He’s flexible. As far as an athlete goes and you, like, build your own athlete, he’s got a lot of attributes that you’d want for sure.
“With that being said, I would say he’s not necessarily the most creative individual on the mat. He definitely, not to talk s*** or speak ill, I just don’t think he’s the most creative guy. But, yeah, he’s super smart. He’s technical. He’s tactical.
“He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Explosive. He’s for sure a formidable opponent no matter what.”
Ultimately, Ruotolo is confident that he’s simply the superior overall grappler. And while Leon had stated that he thinks he’s a more well-rounded, versatile jiu-jitsu player, Ruotolo strongly disagrees.
After a lifetime of training and competing, the American knows that he and his twin brother Kade Ruotolo possess a style that’s practically impossible to prepare for. Creativity and unpredictability, he said, will be key to his victory at ONE Fight Night 31:
“I just think I know jiu-jitsu more than him in the sense where I’ve had more rolls than he’s had. I’ve felt more than he’s felt, if that makes sense. It’s hard to even explain.
“People say it all the time when they fight my brother and I. It’s like they go to push us and we’re not and we’re not there, you know?
“And I know Dante, he’s super good. He’s super technical, but I know for a fact that when he’s gonna go to push me, I’m not gonna be there. I think I’m just more creative and unpredictable.”
Never one for game plans or elaborate strategies, Ruotolo isn’t about to lay out his approach against Leon.
With that said, he’s envisioning nothing less than a quick finish when the two lock horns in the rubber match:
“All I know is I’m just gonna go in, come in hot like I usually do. And, as long as I’m a good version of myself, I think the match is gonna it’s gonna be over pretty quick… But, yeah, whether it’s the head and arm choke or whether it’s with a D’arce or, you know, even a leg lock, I know I got a big bag of tricks I could throw at him, and I’m planning on getting them out pretty quick.”
How to watch: Tye Ruotolo vs. Dante Leon takes place at ONE Fight Night 31 on Friday, May 2, 2025, and will air live on Prime Video (free with Amazon Plus subscription) beginning at 9:00 PM EST.
