“Take care of your temple” - Tye Ruotolo says knee injury gave him a deeper appreciation for rest and recovery

Brazilian jiu-jitsu has been Tye Ruotolo's whole life - he literally was rolling on the mats before he was pottying by himself. But after nearly two decades of wear and tear, his body finally forced him to slow down. Tearing multiple ligaments in his knee during a match was the harsh reminder that he may be invincible as a fighter, but his body is definitely not indestructible.

It happened during the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), in a match against Levi Jones-Leary. There was no getting around it - this time, it's not just a minor injury. For the first time in his life, he was sidelined for months.

And in that stretch of forced stillness, a new mindset developed in Tye Ruotolo:

“I noticed the more jiu-jitsu I do, the worse my body gets," he told ONE Championship. "So it’s important to take care of your temple."

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“My body ended up healing” - Tye Ruotolo thankful he didn’t need to go under the knife due to severe knee injury

For a while, surgery looked like a very possible necessity. But with rehab and some patience, Tye Ruotolo's vitality came through:

“I didn’t need to go with the surgery," he said. "I was super stoked. My body ended up healing after a couple months. And yeah, it’s just been getting my knee strong and getting it ready for competition over the past six months – longest time I’ve ever been out of competition and off the mats."

Now, Tye Ruotolo is set to make his return to the circle at ONE Fight Night 31 on May 2. He'll be defending his position as the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion in his trilogy encounter with Canadian standout Dante Leon, with whom he has a standing score of 1-1.

Catch the action live from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium, streaming live for fight fans in Canada and North America with an active Prime Video subscription.