Overview
- Tye Ruotolo defeated Christian Lee by rear-naked choke in the first round to claim the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title at The Inner Circle 37.
- The finish came in the opening round after Ruotolo used a two-punch entry, heavy ground strikes and a swift transition to back control before the choke ended the fight.
- The bout headlined The Inner Circle 37 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok and streamed on ONE Championship’s members-only Inner Circle service on Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Ruotolo, 23, now holds ONE’s welterweight submission-grappling belt and the lightweight MMA crown and received a US$100,000 performance bonus for the victory.
- The result ends Christian Lee’s run as a two-division MMA champion, leaves him with the promotion’s welterweight MMA title, and raises questions about how elite submission specialists translate grappling success into five-round MMA title fights.