Jozef Chen is set to make his ONE Championship debut in U.S. primetime on Friday, July 5, at ONE Fight Night 23. The talented teenager will face off against Tye Ruotolo in a 186-pound catchweight submission grappling showcase. Despite the step-up in competition, the 19-year-old remains unfazed.
Chen Excited for Showdown with Ruotolo
“I have a good idea of what he’s going to do. But, I mean, the best way to test out a lot of these ideas on what may work or may not work is actually having the match. I mean, he’s very young. I think he’s a bit older than me, but I assume in our careers, it won’t be the only time we cross paths. So I think it’s a great opportunity for me to test a lot of the stuff I’ve been working on,” Chen shared with ONE.
While some may perceive Chen as the underdog against the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion, he believes that the talent gap isn’t as significant. According to Chen, the main difference lies in experience, where he recognizes Ruotolo’s edge.
“I think his style comes as a result of how long he’s trained and kind of the upbringing in jiu-jitsu he’s had. I’m coming up on six years in jiu-jitsu, so I wouldn’t say I have as much intuition with what I necessarily need to do, and so that kind of manifests itself into what could be perceived as a methodical, slower approach. Whereas I feel like, since he’s been training for so long, he has a very good idea of what he wants to do in certain positions. So that’s where a lot of this more intuition and dynamic movement really comes into play,” Chen explained.
Despite Ruotolo’s dominant run in ONE, Chen aims to make him uncomfortable and pose challenges in every aspect of their upcoming match. He sees the opportunity to test his evolving skills on a global stage as a significant draw for his ONE debut.
“Tye is definitely one of the more exciting and one of the more well-accomplished grapplers in the sport. So, especially for me, outside of how good he is and the level that he’s on, I think one of the things that makes it exciting for me is that I’ve been watching him for, man, since I was a yellow, orange belt. So being able to compete against him, it’s a very cool experience,” Chen expressed.
Although the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title won’t be on the line, Chen sees a victory as a stepping stone towards future opportunities. Nevertheless, his primary focus remains on showcasing his skills to a global audience.
“I’m very proud to be able to compete at this level at this point. I think it’s very cool because, generally, for me, jiu-jitsu, I wanna have very good jiu-jitsu. The competition is more secondary to my jiu-jitsu. Being able to compete and display my jiu-jitsu, that’s what really makes me happy. It’s very awesome to be able to compete against someone that you looked up to for so long,” Chen stated.
As he prepares to make his ONE debut, Chen feels confident and prepared, drawing on his previous experiences in international competitions. He anticipates a seamless transition into the Prime Video spotlight without any first-time jitters.
“It’s not the first time. You know, when I first came to the U.S. like two years ago, and then just having trained with and competed with so many people that I’ve studied a lot… you know, it’s not a new experience to me,” Chen confidently shared.
Don’t miss the live broadcast of ONE Fight Night 23 on Friday, July 5, exclusively on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can enjoy the event for free.
