Poland Grappling Prodigy Pawel Jaworski Targets Leg Lock Finish Against Tye Ruotolo At ONE Fight Night 41
Most fighters spend years climbing toward championship opportunities. Pawel Jaworski gets his at the beginning — no warm-up bout, no promotional debut against unranked opposition, just straight into the deep water against ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 41 on March 13 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
“For sure, I was surprised. We got contacted by ONE between the semifinal and the final of IBJJF Worlds in December. So I was a bit shocked, but I was very happy to get this fight with Tye,” the 21-year-old Polish sensation admitted. “At the beginning, I just got the information about getting the fight in ONE. So we immediately accepted that. And then my coach told me that it’s a title matchup. So it was really exciting, and I’m really happy to have it.”
Exciting because earning championship shots usually requires promotional résumé building, not IBJJF dominance that forces organizations to acknowledge you belong at the summit regardless of experience. Jaworski’s 2025 campaign swept No-Gi Pans, No-Gi Europeans, and No-Gi Worlds — the triple crown that made him Europe’s worst-kept secret and convinced ONE Championship that his lethal leg lock system deserved immediate elite-level testing.
Standing across the Circle comes Ruotolo at the peak of his powers. Perfect promotional grappling record. Two successful title defenses. A 2-0 start to his MMA career that suggests transcendent talent extends beyond single disciplines. The 23-year-old represents as complete a competitor as submission grappling has produced — but completeness doesn’t equal invulnerability.
“It’s hard to say what weaknesses he has. He’s the best in the world right now. In general, he’s very well-rounded,” Jaworski acknowledged. “But I was watching his matches, and most of the matches that he lost were probably by leg locks or by decision. So I’m looking to go into this area of grappling in his game because maybe it can be his weakness. So I hope it’s gonna work.”
Targeting leg locks against someone who lives for frantic scrambles requires precision timing that capitalizes on the exact moment champions hesitate. Ruotolo drags opponents into chaos he controls, creating openings through speed and unpredictability that punishes grapplers who can’t match his pace. But Jaworski’s Academia Gorila training under head coach Marcin Polczyk prepared specifically for navigating that storm.
“The style of the Ruotolo brothers is very chaotic, but they control the chaos that they are making,” Jaworski observed. “I hope this match will finish by submission, and it’s gonna be entertaining for the people. It’s hard to predict because anything can happen.”
Anything includes Poland’s first-ever ONE World Champion emerging from March 13. The magnitude runs deeper than personal ambition — victory cements Poland’s growing presence on the global grappling map, validates that European dominance translates to international championship success, proves that starting at the summit beats gradual climbing when technical maturity matches youthful exuberance.
“For sure, it will be a very proud moment for me to be able to compete at that arena, at the biggest stage of jiu-jitsu, and in general, the biggest stage of martial arts,” Jaworski said. “So I’m very happy to be a part of this event.”
Happy but not satisfied with participation. The black belt who recently earned his rank and immediately dominated IBJJF’s highest levels arrives in Bangkok with 26 pounds of gold firmly targeted. No easing in. No promotional debut against mid-tier opposition. Just the opportunity to prove leg lock systems overcome perfect records when technical weapons meet vulnerable areas.
“This is the biggest fight, and it’s the best opportunity for me to show myself against the best guy in my division,” Jaworski explained. “My goal for this match is to show my best side. I would like to use my best weapons. Of course, I would like to look for the leg locks. I hope we will give a great fight for the people to watch.”
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