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"I came real close" - Tye Ruotolo felt disappointed after not submitting Magomed Abdulkadirov in title-clinching win

American superstar Tye Ruotolo was disappointed after failing to secure a finish against Magomed Abdulkadirov.

In November 2023, Ruotolo and Abdulkadirov were matched up inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for the ONE Fight Night 16 co-main event. There were added stakes for the high-level athletes, as the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title was up for grabs.

Ruotolo primarily controlled the tempo before the time limit expired, leading to a unanimous decision win. The 21-year-old recently did an interview on The Shintaro Higashi Show and had this to say about his performance against Abdulkadirov:

"I was disappointed that I didn't get the submission in my world title match, but the match was super exciting, you know. He was very defensive, you know, so I couldn't quite get the submissions. But I came real close many different times."

Ruotolo may not have been overly satisfied with his title-clinching win, but he did add another impressive accolade to his resume. The reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion holds a promotional record of 5-0, including two matches ending inside the distance.

Watch Tye Ruotolo's entire interview below:


What's next for Tye Ruotolo under the ONE Championship banner?

On Friday, April 5, Tye Ruotolo returns to defend his ONE welterweight submission grappling throne for the first time. The American superstar will have a massive platform to showcase his skills, as he's featured in the ONE Fight Night 21 co-main event.

Ruotolo will face arguably the toughest test of his ONE tenure against promotional newcomer Izaak Michell. The 25-year-old Aussie trains under the legendary John Danaher and proved his skills by securing wins against Jansen Gomes and Roberto Jimenez.

ONE Fight Night 21 will take place inside the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The event featuring two world title fights can be seen live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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