Tye Ruotolo Breaks Down His Historic Title Victory Over Christian Lee
Tye Ruotolo has added MMA gold to his submission grappling belt, and the newly crowned two-sport champion is already talking about defending both belts.
The reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion submitted Christian “The Warrior” Lee with a rear-naked choke in just 128 seconds to capture the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on November 6.
It streamed live to members of The Inner Circle via live.onefc.com.
The victory made the 23-year-old American the first fighter in ONE Championship history to hold World Titles in both submission grappling and MMA.
For the California native, who represents Roots of Jiu Jitsu, the finish took his MMA record to 3-0 and his overall ONE record to 12-0 with seven finishes.
Ruotolo Says Nothing Shook Him Against Lee
Lee’s taunts during the opening round did little to unsettle the challenger. Ruotolo stayed composed and took his opportunities to strike with both hands.
A hook and a left hand sent Lee to the canvas, and Ruotolo quickly followed him down with ground-and-pound. As "The Warrior" dealt with the attacks, the submission grappling king found the opening to secure his neck and squeeze for the tap.
“Nothing shook me. No little leg kicks. Nothing crazy. Nothing hurt. Christian Lee was my main aim, so I got it done, and I’m the champion. I’m going to go home and enjoy, and whoever deserves a shot at the championship, I’ll be ready to go,” Ruotolo said.
Lee entered the contest as ONE Championship’s most decorated fighter. The 28-year-old Singaporean-American also had a family score to settle. Ruotolo had submitted his younger brother, Adrian Lee, with a rear-naked choke in his MMA debut in 2025.
Ruotolo Plans to Defend Both ONE World Titles
Winning a second belt brings another set of commitments, but Ruotolo does not want either championship to sit idle. The American intends to remain active in both submission grappling and MMA, with staying healthy a key part of that plan.
“I gotta fight a lot, you know, and stay healthy for sure,” Ruotolo said. “It’s going to be important, but I plan on defending both of them as much as I can. Whichever one you guys want , let me know. Anything you guys want.”
Rather than choosing one discipline over the other, Ruotolo is embracing the demands of being a two-sport champion. His next defense could take him back to the grappling mat or into another MMA contest.
The American Champ-Champ Still Has Muay Thai on His Mind
Even with two title belts to defend, Ruotolo has not ruled out testing himself in another discipline. A Muay Thai appearance remains an ambition for the American, although he acknowledged the difficulty of fitting everything into his schedule.
“Maybe. Right now, it’s really hard to do everything, but one day I’m going to do a Muay Thai fight,” Ruotolo said. “I’m so grateful and happy. I keep saying the same thing, but there’s no other explanation. This is what they call cloud nine.”
For now, Ruotolo has every reason to enjoy the moment. His 128-second victory over Lee delivered the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title and a place in promotional history, with championship challenges in two sports now ahead of him.
