Tye Ruotolo Expects a War Against Christian Lee at The Inner Circle 37 MMA Title Showdown

The 23-year-old American challenges two-division champion Christian "The Warrior" Lee for the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday, November 6. Fans can stream it via live.onefc.com.

Ruotolo dominated submission grappling before transitioning to MMA in 2025, when he submitted Lee's younger brother, Adrian Lee, by rear-naked choke in his debut in the sport.

Nearly three months later, he submitted Shozo Isojima to move to 2-0 in MMA, and he arrives at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium fresh off a successful defense of his welterweight grappling crown earlier this year. His 11-0 ONE record includes no defeats in any discipline.

A win over Lee would make Ruotolo the first fighter in ONE Championship history to hold a World Title in both submission grappling and MMA, and he has made it clear that he believes history is within reach.

Ruotolo Never Asks for a Fight He Cannot Win

The matchup was not handed to Ruotolo. The American asked for it, and he has been clear that the confidence behind the callout predates his debut win over Adrian Lee.

"I called out Christian, and I was confident that I had the ability to beat him, and that was even prior to the Adrian Lee fight. I've never asked for a fight I never thought that I could win, and I'm not one to bite off more than I can chew," Ruotolo said.

Beating Adrian in his MMA debut and then finishing Isojima gave Ruotolo the momentum to turn that confidence into a title shot. Lee, 28, is the most decorated fighter in the promotion's history, so the callout was a bold one, but the Californian has backed himself every step of the way.?

Ruotolo Believes Anyone Near His Size Is in Danger of Being Finished

Two MMA fights is a small sample size for a title challenge, and Ruotolo knows it. He is not apologizing for the lack of experience and has laid out why he believes it does not matter.

"I may have only had two MMA fights, but I truly feel if you put me on the other side of the ring with anybody close to my size, the odds of me ending the fight are very high," he explained.

Both of his MMA victories came via submission, and his world-class grappling pedigree gives him a threat that few fighters can match once the fight hits the mat.

Lee is a different class of opponent, though. The current ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion holds an 18-4 ONE record with 17 finishes and owns the most wins, most finishes, and most knockouts in ONE history. A finish against him would be the biggest result of Ruotolo's career by a wide margin.

Ruotolo Predicts a 'Gnarly Night' Ending with the Belt Around His Waist

Ruotolo is not underestimating what awaits him inside the ring. He expects a difficult fight and has made a prediction about how it ends.

"It's going to be a tough challenge. It's going to be a war. I don't think it's going to be easy, but I think I'm going to leave with the belt around my waist, and it's going to be a gnarly night," he declared.

The stakes for November 6 go beyond a single belt. Victory would make Ruotolo a two-sport World Champion and the first fighter to hold ONE gold in both grappling and MMA, while handing Lee a rare defeat. Everything Ruotolo has built since arriving in the promotion has led to this night, and he has been clear that he believes he is ready.

Watch The Inner Circle 37 exclusively on live.onefc.com beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET/3:30 a.m. PT.