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James Goyder

Tye Ruotolo sits on top of the submission grappling world. He is coming off four straight victories on ONE Championship cards that culminated in his winning the welterweight title last November.
That most recent win came at the expense of Magomed Abdulkadirov at ONE Fight Night 16. As well as the title, Ruotolo earned a US$50,000 (HK$391,000) performance bonus and things seem to be happening very fast for the 21-year-old.
Ruotolo defends his belt for the first time at ONE Fight Night 21 this Saturday, when his bout against Izaak Michell co-headlines the card at Lumpinee Stadium.
Ruotolo points out that he has not exactly been an overnight success, as he was already an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championship winner when he signed for ONE Championship.


“I’m happy with where I’m at but it’s been a lifetime of hard work and dedication. I’m really stoked and grateful.”
While Michell recently switched camps to train with John Danaher, Ruotolo has had plenty of time to study the Australian.
“His style of jiu-jitsu intrigues me I know he likes to fight hard. He’s aggressive, I like it when people are aggressive it brings a deeper beast out of me.”
Ruotolo’s twin brother, Kade, is also competing on this card. Both are based in San Diego, where they train at the renowned Atos camp under BJJ legend Andre Galvao.
Danaher’s team was previously called the Danaher Death Squad (DDS) although it has recently been rebranded as New Wave. Ruotolo is aware of the historical rivalry between the two camps, though he says it has diminished in recent years.

“When the leg locks first started coming into no-gi jiu-jitsu, the rivalry was at its biggest. Atos had been dominating no-gi for a long time but when DDS came in with their leg locks it caught a lot of us off guard. [But] I think the past couple of years the rivalry just doesn’t seem to be quite as intense.”
While Ruotolo has not fought since November, he was at ONE 165 earlier this year to corner for his brother. The last-minute withdrawal of Sage Northcutt caused chaos at that event in Tokyo and the two siblings were right at the heart of it.
Kade Ruotolo wanted to replace Northcutt and make his MMA debut against seasoned veteran Shinya Aoki. His brother thought that fight was actually going to happen and they even started preparing backstage.
“I’m there to support my brother no matter what. I was hoping that Sage was gonna be there but some things ended up happening and he didn’t want to fight so we were shadow boxing, I had my hands up and he was throwing one-twos. Obviously the prep for an MMA match is way different, but I was all for it.”
In the end, ONE Championship’s decision makers decided that Kade Ruotolo, who was already booked for a submission grappling match on the card, could not compete twice in one night. Instead, John Lineker was plucked from the audience to face Aoki.
For Tye Ruotolo, moments like that encapsulate the appeal of ONE Championship. Fighters, like his brother, are willing to switch codes and matchmakers will do “whatever it takes” to ensure the audience is entertained.

“ONE is so good at taking martial artists and creating such a good show. They’re down to do whatever it takes to make the show go on.”
When the Ruotolo brothers are not training jiu-jitsu, they love to surf. Both were born in Hawaii, brought up in California and spend time in Costa Rica – three destinations renowned for their beaches and waves.
Michell, too, is a surfer. The two men are set to lock horns inside the Lumpinee Stadium ring but Ruotolo admits they have plenty in common.
“He’s got a cool lifestyle, I’ve seen him in Australia surfing and we like a lot of the same things.”
Ruotolo might be at the pinnacle of the jiu-jitsu world but Michell is looking to push him off the podium. The Australian has won his past six matches and has had plenty of time to prepare for this fight, which has already been postponed once – the bout was originally booked for ONE 166 last month.
Ruotolo is hoping for an action-packed encounter on Saturday, and acknowledges that Michell is the most difficult opponent he has faced in his ONE Championship career.
“I love fighting the biggest, best guys. I’m stoked for this one.”


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ONE Championship: China’s Banma Duoji has gone from child-bully victim to fight veteran

ONE Championship

ONE Championship: submission grappling champion Tye Ruotolo says Izaak Michell will be his ‘most difficult opponent’ so far

Tye Ruotolo defends his welterweight submission grappling world championship belt for the first time at ONE Fight Night 21. Photo: ONE Championship

The Tye and Kade Ruotolo twins train under BJJ legend Andre Galvao. Photo: ONE Championship.

Kade Ruotolo (right) celebrates his lightweight submission grappling title win with his brother, Tye. Photo: ONE Championship.

ONE Fight Night 21: Dutch Muay Thai fighter Regian Eersel and US submission grappler Tye Ruotolo put their belts on the line

Dutchman Regian Eersel puts his ONE lightweight Muay Thai title on the line against Alexis Nicolas at ONE Fight Night 21on April 6. Photos: ONE Championship

Americans Kade Ruotolo (right) and twin brother, Tye, will both be on the card. Photo: ONE Championship.

Japan’s Ayaka Miura will take on No 5-ranked Malaysian Jihin Radzuan. Photo: ONE Championship

Muay Thai flyweight fighter Denis Puric of Bosnia will face England’s Jacob Smith. Photo: ONE Championship

ONE Championship: Jonathan Di Bella expects step up against Prajanchai in strawweight kickboxing title bout

Jonathan Di Bella is defending his strawweight kickboxing title at Lumpinee Stadium on Friday. Photo: ONE Championship

Prajanchai celebrates after avenging his loss to Joseph Lasiri. Photo: ONE Championship

Di Bella beat New Zealand’s Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 15. Photo: ONE Championship

ONE Championship: Superbon Singha Mawynn takes first step towards regaining kickboxing crown when he faces Marat Grigorian

The 33-year-old Superbon will face old rival Marat Grigorian for the interim featherweight kickboxing title at Lumpinee Stadium. Photo: ONE Championship

Superbon (left) and Grigorian have met twice, with one win each. Photo: ONE Championship

Superbon lost his kickboxing title when he was knocked out by Chingiz Allazov last year.

Superbon narrowly lost to Tawanchai in a Muay Thai title bout. Photo: ONE Championship

Superbon hopes to train in future with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Photo: AP

ONE Championship: Muay Thai veteran Nong-O Gaiyanghadao vows to become world champion again before calling it quits

Nong-O is coming off back-to-back losses but those defeats have come at the hands of the two brightest prospects in the division. Photo: ONE Championship

Nong-O says age was not a factor against Nico Carrillo. Photo: ONE Championship

Jonathan Haggerty snatched the bantamweight title from Nong-O last April. Photo: ONE Championship

Kulabdam (left) has won three fights since his last loss, to Muangthai PK Saenchai. Photo: ONE Championship

One Championship: Chinese fighter Tang Kai makes up for lost time by finally defending his title, hopes for home fight

China’s Tang Kai wants to fight in front of his home fans. Photo: ONE Championship

Tang Kai punches Thanh Le at ONE 166, stopping him in the third round. Photo: ONE Championship

Kai is confident of defeating American Garry Tonon should their paths cross. Photo: ONE Championship

Sport

Martial Arts

Grappling

The American makes the first defence of his belt when he co-headlines ONE Fight Night 21 on Saturday at Lumpinee Stadium
The Australian has won his past six matches and has had plenty of time to prepare for this fight


The American makes the first defence of his belt at ONE Fight Night 21 on Saturday, against an opponent who has won his past six matches.


Martial arts

Costa Rica

ONE Championship: submission grappling champion Tye Ruotolo says Izaak Michell will be his ‘most difficult opponent’ so far

The American makes the first defence of his belt when he co-headlines ONE Fight Night 21 on Saturday at Lumpinee Stadium The Australian has won his past six matches and has had plenty of time to prepare for this fight

The American makes the first defence of his belt when he co-headlines ONE Fight Night 21 on Saturday at Lumpinee Stadium

The Australian has won his past six matches and has had plenty of time to prepare for this fight