"The guy is such a beast" - Tye Ruotolo thanks Jozef Chen for pulsating 10-minute scrap at ONE Fight Night 23
Tye Ruotolo came out on top at ONE Fight Night 23 and maintained his undefeated streak in ONE Championship.
The elite grappler has always been willing to take on any and all comers and July 5 at Lumpinee Stadium was no different.
Jozef Chen may be just two years younger than his opponent but he is an incredibly highly regarded future star on the grappling scene.
At just 19 years old and training out of the B Team, his future in the sport is incredibly bright and he put in a good showing this past weekend.
Tye always comes in to try and get the finish but he was unable to do that on this occasion but part of that needs to be credit to his opponent.
Ruotolo spoke in a post-fight interview with Sportskeeda MMA where he showed respect to Chen for stepping up to the plate:
"First and foremost, thanks to Jozef Chen. The guy is such a beast and a great representative for jiu-jitsu. I'm very grateful to have the match with him, grateful to have my health and to win the match."
Watch the full interview below:
Tye Ruotolo showed his level on July 5
ONE Fight Night 23 wasn't the best performance that we have seen from Tye Ruotolo and he would be the first to admit that.
However, there are several factors that play into this which in fact, show why he should be proud of his victory.
Dealing with physical health concerns before a contest is a difficult start to begin with especially when you now have to go and face a young and hungry competitor that has already proven his worth at this level.
To come away with the win under incredibly difficult circumstances against a legitimate test shows exactly why Tye is one of the best in the world.
The full replay of ONE Fight Night 23 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.