Ruotolo Predicts Early Submission Against Christian Lee

Tye Ruotolo heads into his November 6 lightweight title challenge convinced the defending champion faces far more pressure than he does.

The submission grappling specialist meets Christian Lee at The Inner Circle 37 in Bangkok, with Lee seeking revenge for his younger sibling Adrian's loss to Ruotolo last September at ONE Fight Night 35, as BJPenn.com reports. Lee has publicly questioned whether the challenger's limited experience can carry him through 25 minutes.

Challenger Dismisses Experience Questions

Ruotolo sees the revenge narrative working in his favor. "I'm sure Christian's got a lot of pressure because it's on him," the 23-year-old said. He dismissed the experience narrative entirely, focusing instead on what happens when the cage door closes at Lumpinee Stadium.

Both fighters carry finishing pedigrees into the main event. Ruotolo has stopped both his MMA opponents by submission, banking a $50,000 bonus each time. Lee has finished 17 of his 18 career victories, most recently stopping Alibeg Rasulov in their November rematch. A win would make Ruotolo the promotion's first simultaneous champion across submission grappling and MMA.

The challenger does not expect the scorecards to matter. He predicted a finish inside the first two rounds, most likely by submission, though he acknowledged the possibility of a full five-round battle. Ruotolo told the outlet he plans to end the fight quickly against Lee's older brother.

The Inner Circle 37 streams Friday, November 6 during Asia primetime hours.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Tye Ruotolo shifts the pressure onto Christian Lee and predicts an early submission