"One of the most exciting grapplers" - Jozef Chen confident he is in for 'a very cool experience' vs Tye Ruotolo
Jozef Chen voiced his respect for Tye Ruotolo ahead of their upcoming submission grappling match.
At ONE Fight Night 23, Chen will make his promotional debut against Ruotolo, the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion. The South African debutant will have a tough challenge waiting on Friday, as Ruotolo has established an impressive resume through six appearances (6-0) under the ONE banner.
During an interview with ONE, Chen talked about his debut matchup at ONE Fight Night 23 and had this to say about Ruotolo:
"Tye is definitely one of the most exciting grapplers and one of the more well-accomplished grapplers in the sport. So being able to compete against him, it's a very cool experience."
Tye Ruotolo last competed on April 5 when he defended his welterweight throne for the first time. Ruotolo showcased his newly established "Ruotolotine" and submitted Izaak Michell to extend his undefeated promotional run.
Meanwhile, Jozef Chen is coming off a solid showing at Polaris 27: Welterweight Grand Prix, which took place on March 23. The 19-year-old also made a name for himself last year by securing first place in the 2023 European ADCC Trials.
Who else is competing at ONE Fight Night 23 besides Jozef Chen and Tye Ruotolo?
Tye Ruotolo vs Jozef Chen isn't the only intriguing matchup taking place at ONE Fight Night 23. In the main event, undefeated debutant Alibeg Rasulov looks to quickly put the ONE lightweight MMA division on notice by taking out Ok Rae Yoon for an interim world title, setting up a matchup against Christian Lee.
Friday's co-main event features Nico Carrillo looking to secure a bantamweight Muay Thai title shot. To do so, the number one-ranked fighter must get through the always experienced and dangerous Saemapetch.
These matchups are scheduled for ONE Fight Night 23 - Luke Lessei vs Bampara Kouyate (featherweight Muay Thai), Reug Reug vs Boucher Ketchup (heavyweight kickboxing), and Kang Ji Won vs Kirill Grishenko (heavyweight MMA).
ONE Fight Night 23 will play out inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.