Undefeated MMA fighter Adrian Lee is looking to spoil Tye Ruotolo’s MMA debut and make a statement. The Hawaiian teen star will put his perfect professional record on the line against the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion in a lightweight MMA clash at ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Friday, September 5, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The highly anticipated bout will see Lee defend his spotless 3-0 record against the decorated BJJ stylist, who will compete in mixed martial arts for the first time ever.
Adrian Lee Questioned Ruotolo’s Bold Callout Decision
The 19-year-old Adrian Lee was initially surprised when Ruotolo called him out following his submission grappling title defense against Dante Leon in May 2025. The youngest member of the prominent Lee family didn’t expect to be the target of such an ambitious debut request.
“I was on my trip with my girlfriend. I saw [an article] pop up. It was like, ‘Tye Ruotolo wants to fight Adrian Lee,’ and I was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ Later on, they sent over the contracts, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll take it. That’s a great fight for me.’ I don’t think that it is the smartest decision for his debut fight, but it is what it is,” Adrian Lee revealed.
Image Courtesy of ONE Championship.
Despite his initial hesitation, “The Phenom” recognizes the opportunity to face such a high-profile opponent. The Singaporean-American has established himself as one of MMA’s most promising young stars with three consecutive submission victories and perfect 100 percent finishing rate.
Experience Gap Could Prove Decisive for Adrian Lee on September 5
While Adrian Lee acknowledges Ruotolo’s exceptional jiu-jitsu credentials as the reigning grappling king, he believes the transition to MMA presents significant challenges that favor his extensive mixed martial arts background.
“He’s a great grappler. He’s very accomplished, but that’s grappling. Grappling and MMA are very different. You can’t just practice MMA for two years and think you’re ready to go pro. Even though he’s been doing grappling since he was a kid, I’ve been doing MMA since I was a kid. So, I think that’s gonna show on fight night,” Lee explained.
Lee comes from martial arts royalty, following in the footsteps of his siblings Christian Lee and Angela Lee under the ONE Championship banner. His comprehensive skill set and decisive finishing rate suggest Ruotolo’s MMA debut could be a daunting challenge.
Adrian Lee Predicts Early Finish Against Grappling Champion
Adrian Lee enters the contest with supreme confidence, believing his experience will overwhelm the submission grappling sensation across all facets of combat. Ultimately, he doesn’t envision Ruotolo’s MMA debut to last too long.
“I’m gonna be a completely different MMA fighter, or even opponent, that he has ever faced. I really feel like I’m gonna beat him everywhere in this fight. Honestly, I’d say [this could end with a] first or second round knockout, TKO, or submission. I could see it going all three ways,” Lee predicted.
ONE Fight Night 35 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, September 5. The action begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.