Tye Ruotolo excited for “second chance” at ONE Fight Night 31 following knee injury

Competition has been a constant in the life of ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo. But that all changed when he suffered a debilitating knee injury last summer.

On Friday, May 2, at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II, the submission magician returns to action inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium when he defends his gold versus Canadian standout Dante Leon.

Ruotolo shredded his knee while competing seven months ago. He tore multiple ligaments; namely the PCL, ACL, and MCL.

Since then, he’s had to bide his time back to full health. He’s also realized just how much of his lifestyle he’d gotten used to — something he’s not taking lightly ahead of his return.

“It was the biggest injury I’ve had in jiu-jitsu. I’ve had some torn ligaments before in my knee, but nothing quite to the extent and the amount of damage I did this last time,” Ruotolo said.

“It’s been quite a process getting it back, for sure. I’m just grateful to have another opportunity to be on the mat. I definitely took it for granted, just competing, even.”

Tye Ruotolo shares insight about dietary adjustments ahead of ONE Fight Night 31

Reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo is taking extra measures to ensure his body is at its absolute peak when he returns at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II.

As an elite grappler, the risk of injury is much more prevalent. That’s why the American star is adjusting everything from mobility to dietary discipline to make sure his body is as prepared as possible for the threat of Dante Leon.

“I learned that what you eat is super important. I was never super strict on my diet. In fact, I always had a pretty bad relationship with food, just with all the weight cuts. And the American diet isn’t set up to be the healthiest, so I definitely had my fair share of s*** food over the years,” he said.

“But what you can control is the day to day. So I just made sure that I was doing what I could every day for myself, just checking in. And it’s important to have those mental checkups on yourself even every day.”