believes he바카라ll be too much for to handle when they lock horns on May 2 in U.S. primetime at .
At the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, the American superstar will put his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title on the line against Leon in the pair바카라s long-awaited rubber match.
The two first collided back in 2020 when Leon secured a hard-fought decision victory. A little over a year later, they met again, and Ruotolo evened the score with a last-second submission win.
They will now clash in a trilogy match with 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold up for grabs.
Ruotolo admitted the Canadian powerhouse is a well-rounded, tactically minded grappler who possesses all the physical traits needed to compete at the absolute highest level.
However, he thinks Leon is lacking some of the unique elements found in his own game. The 22-year-old titleholder told :
바카라[Leon is] explosive when he wants to be. He바카라s flexible. As far as, like, an athlete goes, you build your own athlete, he바카라s got a lot of attributes that you바카라d want for sure.
바카라With that being said, I would say he바카라s not necessarily the most creative individual on the mat. Not to talk s*** or speak ill, I just don바카라t think he바카라s the most creative guy. But, yeah, he바카라s super smart. He바카라s technical. He바카라s tactical.바카라
The World Champion is confident that he바카라ll bring an innovative style to ONE Fight Night 31 that Leon simply can바카라t prepare for.
After a lifetime of training and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Ruotolo simply feels that he and his twin brother, reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion , have honed their ground-fighting intuition to unmatched levels:
바카라I just think I know more jiu-jitsu than him in the sense where I바카라ve had more rolls than he바카라s had. I바카라ve felt more than he바카라s felt.
바카라People say it all the time when they fight my brother and I. It바카라s like they go to push us, and we바카라re not there. And I know Dante, he바카라s super good. He바카라s super technical, but I know for a fact that when he바카라s gonna go to push me, I바카라m not gonna be there. And, yeah, I think I바카라m just more creative and unpredictable.바카라
Ruotolo has displayed his creativity plenty of times over the course of his through the world바카라s largest martial arts organization, whether he바카라s dominating wrestling exchanges with his inventive takedowns or hunting for another highlight-reel submission finish.
The Californian said that he has no shortage of ways to get Leon out of there, and on May 2, he plans to utilize his full arsenal:
바카라All I know is I바카라m just gonna come in hot like I usually do. And, as long as I바카라m a good version of myself, I think the match is gonna be over pretty quick.
바카라Whether it바카라s the head and arm choke or whether it바카라s with a D바카라Arce or even a leg lock, I know I바카라ve got a big bag of tricks I could throw at him, and I바카라m planning on getting him out pretty quick.바카라
Ruotolo Looks Back At First Two Matches Against Leon
Tye Ruotolo and Dante Leon have already shared the mat for nearly 30 minutes of frantic action.
Looking back on their first encounter, Ruotolo recalls Leon gaining dominant positions but believes the tide was beginning to turn in his favor:
바카라I was pretty young, and we had a scrap, for sure. I remember being in his face, back and forth.
바카라I think he got past my guard towards the middle of the match, and positionally, he was a little bit more dominant. It was back and forth. I felt like mentally, I almost won. I could tell he was tired and he was breaking. I had a lot more in the tank, but he got a couple better positions during the match, so he ended up getting the win.바카라
When they met in another 15-minute submission-only match in September 2021, Ruotolo was older and bigger, and he was able to score the arm-triangle finish after finding success from the top position.
That experience taught him that he needs to lean on his creativity if he wants to submit a grappler as skilled as Leon:
바카라I took him down a couple of times, passed the guard, put the pressure on him, and then, eventually, I got the Kata Gatami (arm-triangle) finish.
바카라I remember he was strong and flexible, and he바카라s very safe. He doesn바카라t make a lot of mistakes. He바카라s well-rounded, so he바카라s a hard guy to put away. But that바카라s why I바카라m trying to think of some more creative things as of lately to get through that little shell.바카라
While Ruotolo concedes that Leon has undoubtedly evolved since their first two matches, he바카라s also done plenty of evolving himself.
Ultimately, he바카라s focused on securing the submission in the quickest way possible:
바카라I바카라m going for a lot of those quick kills and trying not to drag my opponent in the deeper waters before before I get the finish. I want to be able to get in and get out. I don바카라t want to be on the mat longer than I need to.바카라
