“Not my best performance” - Tye Ruotolo itching to get better after Bangkok duel against Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Night 23
He may have gotten his hand raised, but Tye Ruotolo is not satisfied with how he took the win in his most recent scrap. Ruotolo captured a unanimous decision win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy Jozef Chen in their catchweight submission grappling bout at ONE Fight Night 23 this past weekend at Lumpinee Stadium.
Despite maintaining his perfect record in ONE Championship, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion wasn't too impressed with how he fought against Chen.
Ruotolo and Chen are seen as two of the most electrifying grapplers on the planet, but their styles quickly canceled each other out in their Bangkok duel.
Taking to Instagram following his win, Tye Ruotolo wrote that he's determined to get back to his usual self and unleash his frustrations in the Craig Jones Invitational.
He wrote:
"Another one down! Not my best performance but got it done = my 7th consecutive win on @onechampionship. Grateful to be going back home into the lab with my brother. Respect to Jozef Chen for the match, excited to run it back at CJI. Thanks to everyone who's supported the journey so far, time for more action soon. Much love 💪."
Although their fight didn't end in a submission, Ruotolo and Chen put on a clinic on how to pass and bring the fight to the ground in the best possible way.
There was no guard-pulling between the two and Ruotolo initiated the ground duel when he slammed Chen to the mat earlier in the match.
Chen even tried to lock in a heel hook late in the match, but Ruotolo's overall aggression and pace ultimately earned him the unanimous decision win.
Tye Ruotolo eager to join ONE Championship's upcoming ONE 168 card
ONE Championship has steadily built its card for ONE 168: Denver, and Tye Ruotolo is looking to land a slot in the promotion's live return to the United States.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Ruotolo said he plans to join his brother Kade in Denver on Sept. 6 at Ball Arena.
Ruotolo said:
"100 percent, maybe, I'll make one of those my MMA debut, you know. But yeah, that'll be a sick card. I always love fighting on the same card with my brother. When we coach each other, you know, we always keep good energy and we feed off each other's energy."
Kade will defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against Mikey Musumeci, the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, in one of the card's world title fights.