After dominating the grappling world for years, Tye Ruotolo is finally making his transition to mixed martial arts. The 22-year-old BJJ phenom is set for his MMA debut at ONE Fight Night 35 on September 5 in Bangkok, where he’ll face rising prospect Adrian Lee inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium.
Ruotolo comes in as the reigning ONE Championship Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion, boasting dominant wins over elite names like Garry Tonon and Reinier de Ridder. He’s undefeated in submission grappling under the ONE banner, riding an eight-fight winning streak. With his twin brother Kade already preparing for his MMA entry, this move felt like only a matter of time.
His debut won’t come easy. Standing across from him is 19-year-old Adrian Lee—a fast-rising lightweight who’s finished all three pro MMA fights by submission and earned three consecutive $50,000 performance bonuses. Lee recently submitted Takeharu Ogawa in just over a minute, building on earlier wins over Antonio Mammarella and Nico Cornejo.
For Lee, this is a chance to beat one of the world’s top grapplers and cement his contender status. For Ruotolo, it’s about showing that elite jiu-jitsu can still dominate in modern MMA—even under pressure, even with strikes.
Ruotolo trains out of Atos Jiu-Jitsu, and few question his technique. But how he deals with real cage time, ground-and-pound, and the pace of MMA remains the big unknown. This matchup is more than just style vs. style—it’s a litmus test for crossover success in today’s lightweight division.
Whether it becomes a ground war or a complete MMA chess match, ONE Fight Night 35 is shaping up to deliver something special.
