Tye Ruotolo Eyes History As First Grappling And MMA ONE World Champion At The Inner Circle 37

Tye Ruotolo is one win away from rewriting ONE Championship history. The ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion challenges two-division king Christian Lee for the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday, November 6.

The event streams via live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. If Ruotolo wins, he will become the first fighter to hold a ONE World Title in both grappling and MMA, a milestone no one has achieved.

Ruotolo is an American with an 11-0 ONE record and a 2-0 MMA mark. After dominating submission grappling, he made his MMA debut in 2025 against Lee's younger brother Adrian Lee, submitting him with a rear-naked choke.

Ruotolo has wanted this fight for a long time. He called out Lee before ever stepping into the ring against Adrian, and he says that win only confirmed what he already believed about his own ability.

"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. Then I got the opportunity to fight Adrian, and I was able to prove my skills in that match," Ruotolo said.

Ruotolo expects the main event to turn explosive early, with both men pushing forward. He is excited to share the ring with another exciting fighter and believes the clash will deliver plenty of action for fans.

"I'm excited to have an opportunity to face another exciting fighter. I believe we're both going to go in, and pressure is going to meet pressure, and I'm sure there's going to be some fireworks that come out of it," he said.

Beyond the result, the belt carries deep personal meaning for Ruotolo. Winning would mark his transformation from one of the world's best jiu-jitsu competitors into a complete martial artist, and he made clear what that achievement would represent to him.

"Winning the belt will mean a lot to me. It represents the opportunity to bridge the gap from just being a jiu-jitsu [stylist] to being a full martial artist. It would mean the world to me," Ruotolo said.