Tye Ruotolo teases possible world title defense before 2024 ends: “We got some talks about it pretty soon”

Tye Ruotolo believes he'll squeeze in a defense of his ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship before 2024 comes to an end.

This Friday night, July 5, Ruotolo will return to action as he seeks his seventh career win under the ONE Championship banner.

Stepping back inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium for a loaded ONE Fight Night 23 card on Amazon Prime Video, Ruotolo will welcome 19-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Jozef Chen to martial arts' biggest global stage.

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Though Tye Ruotolo's clash with Chen will be a catchweight bout, the 21-year-old BJJ sensation revealed in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA that he's eyeing a title defense a little later this year.

"100 percent. I think we got some talks about it pretty soon. So yeah, I’ll be stoked to defend my belt before the year’s over, for sure," Ruotolo said.

"Jozef Chen's a super formidable opponent and to me, this is a title fight, you know. So I'm just going to, you know, keep my mind on him for now. But I'll be stoked to defend my title later in the year."

Jozef Chen plans on throwing different things at Tye Ruotolo to see what sticks

After making a name for himself by topping the podium at some of the biggest BJJ tournaments in the world, including the IBJJF Asian Championships and the ADCC European Trials in 2023, Jozef Chen will look to take his career to the next level against one of BJJ's biggest stars.

Offering some insight into how he plans to approach his clash with Tye Ruotolo, Chen told the promotion:

"My idea is definitely to try and test a lot of skills that I've been working on. So standing position is definitely one that I'm going to try to see what works, see what doesn't, and try to work from that."

Will Chen rise to the occasion and take Ruotolo's 'O' inside the Mecca of Muay Thai?

ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 23 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 5.