Demetrious Johnson says “it’s really rare to find somebody” who can counter the Ruotolo brothers’ BJJ pedigree in MMA
Demetrious Johnson has to be the most cerebral mixed martial artist of all time, and he doesn't need much to dissect a fighter's full capabilities.
Such was the case when he assessed Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstars Tye and Kade Ruotolo's ability to transition from submission grappling to mixed martial arts.
In his appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, the ONE flyweight MMA world champion said it would be difficult to find a current MMA fighter to counter the twins' ability on the grappling front.
Demetrious Johnson said:
"With the amount of time they had on jiu-jitsu, it's really rare for them to find somebody in mixed martial arts who can counter that. You have to find a guy who's been doing karate since he was three years old. We all know once it's on the ground, it's a whole different ball game."
Kade and Tye Ruotolo were once dubbed the child stars of BJJ, and the brothers rightfully exceeded the hype that was put on them from an early age.
Tye is the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, while Kade is the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.
The brothers also have multiple BJJ world titles between them, including gold from the IBJJF, ADCC, and Who's Number One.
Kade also made a successful jump to MMA when he submitted American brawler Blake Cooper in the first round of his MMA debut at ONE 167 this past June.
Tye, meanwhile, has yet to make his MMA debut, but Kade has hinted that his brother is well on his way to donning the four-ounce gloves.
Demetrious Johnson shares what he told Kade Ruotolo ahead of MMA debut
Demetrious Johnson recently went on a gym tour across the United States and visited a couple of facilities where his fellow ONE world champions train.
One of those gyms was Tenore HQ in Costa Mesa, California.
'Mighty Mouse' took his time to roll with Kade and Tye Ruotolo, and shared some advice with the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.
Johnson said on the same JAXXON Podcast episode:
"He's looking great. Like I said, his grappling is so damn good. I just told him, 'Get to where you're the strongest'. If he does that, it's going to be an easy fight."