“Appreciate the work” - BJJ superstar Tye Ruotolo works on his striking amid rumors of possible MMA debut this year
It seems Tye Ruotolo isn't that far behind his twin brother Kade's MMA exploits.
Kade previously said in his interview with Ariel Helwani at The MMA Hour that Tye could make the jump to MMA later this year, and the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion fanned the rumor flames on Instagram.
Tye recently trained with famed coach Tyler Wombles, the same man who trained Kade for his MMA debut, and professional fighter Jacob Rosales in California.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Tye Ruotolo shared Wombles' post:
"Appreciate the work coach @classicfightteam."
ONE Championship hasn't officially announced an MMA fight for Tye, but the BJJ phenom has been working on his striking along with Kade for nearly a year now.
Tye often trained with Kade during the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion's training camp in preparation for his MMA debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167 earlier this month.
Apart from helping his brother in California, Tye also trained with ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbn at Superbon Training Camp whenever he fought in Bangkok.
It's unclear when Tye would transition to MMA, but he would have a multitude of potential opponents once he rocks ONE Championship's four-ounce gloves inside the Circle.
Tye Ruotolo set for generational matchup with fellow young phenom Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Night 23
Although he's been ramping up his striking game, Tye Ruotolo has imminent grappling business in a few weeks.
The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion will face 19-year-old phenom Jozef Chen in a 186-pound catchweight submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 23.
Tye's matchup with Chen, who's just two years his junior, goes down on July 5, US primetime, at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
ONE Fight Night 23, like all of ONE Championship's Amazon cards, is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.