Tye Ruotolo Understands Christian Lee’s Motive But Expects Danger Across The Ring
Tye Ruotolo knows exactly how he would feel if someone beat his twin brother. That is precisely why he does not expect Christian “The Warrior” Lee to let emotion take over.
The ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion challenges Lee for the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 37 on Friday, November 6. The card streams live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, exclusively for members at live.onefc.com.
Lee has framed the fight as payback for his younger brother, Adrian “The Phenom” Lee, whom Ruotolo submitted in his MMA debut at ONE Fight Night 35 in September 2025. The champion has also questioned the 23-year-old’s lack of experience in real wars.
Ruotolo does not dismiss the family motive. He simply believes Lee’s track record shows a fighter who handles unfinished business with a clear head.
After losing his lightweight belt to Ok Rae Yoon in September 2021, Lee won it back in their rematch a year later. Following a no contest with Alibeg Rasulov in December 2024, he finished the Turkish contender in their sequel last November.
“I know if someone beat my brother, a big part of me would want to get that back, for sure. But I know that Christian’s also a professional at what he does. He’s been a champion for a long time under the promotion – and that hasn’t been by accident,” Ruotolo said.
“So, I’m not expecting him to be overly emotional or feel like he has to justify his brother, but maybe he will. I don’t know.”
A win would make the California native the first ONE World Champion in both submission grappling and MMA. Both of his MMA victories have come by submission and earned US$50,000 bonuses.
Even while predicting a short night, Ruotolo has nothing but respect for the man who became ONE’s youngest male MMA World Champion in 2019 and added welterweight gold in 2022.
“To stay a champion, you have to have a lot of good qualities, [like] being patient and being not emotional, and I’m sure that is a quality that he possesses. He’s strong. He’s got a lot of heart. He’s well-rounded. He’s explosive,” he said.
“He’s got some good qualities, for sure. He doesn’t make too many mistakes, too. Overall, he’s a great competitor.”
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