"A lot more scraps in the future" - Tye Ruotolo sure he will cross paths with Jozef Chen again down the line
Tye Ruotolo believes ONE Fight Night 23 won't be the only time he faces Jozef Chen in a submission grappling match.
Last Friday represented Ruotolo's seventh appearance under the ONE Championship banner. The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion's latest challenge was a non-title catchweight bout against promotional newcomer Jozef Chen, who attempted to make a massive statement.
Unfortunately for Chen, he couldn't find much success against Ruotolo. The American superstar controlled most of the action before securing a unanimous decision win, extending his promotional record to 7-0.
During an interview with the South China Morning Post, Ruotolo had this to say about potentially facing Chen again in the future:
"He's 19 years old, he's real young, so am I, you know, we're both climbing the ranks together. So yeah, I'm excited to get...I'm stocked to get the win. It's the first one on the record. I'm sure we're going to have a lot more scraps in the future."
Tye Ruotolo's win against Jozef Chen went down inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. North American and Canadian viewers who missed ONE Fight Night 23 can watch the replay on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch Ruotolo's entire interview with the South China Morning Post below:
What's next for Tye Ruotolo and Jozef Chen under the ONE Championship banner?
Jozef Chen came up short in his promotional debut. Luckily, the 19-year-old proved he belongs with ONE Championship, potentially leading to several more appearances. Potential opponents for Chen's next outing include but are not limited to Izaak Michell and Magomed Abdulkadirov.
Meanwhile, Tye Ruotolo's future isn't as clear due to his several options. Firstly, the American superstar could return later this year to defend his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title. ONE has signed several world-class opponents to challenge Ruotolo, which could happen again next time out.
Secondly, Ruotolo could fully commit to making his professional MMA debut before the end of 2024. On June 7, Tye's twin brother, ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo, fought in MMA for the first time, defeating Blake Cooper by first-round submission.
Watch Kade Ruotolo submit Blake Cooper at ONE 167 below: