"It's definitely up there" - Izaak Michell says ONE gold the most prized possession in submission grappling
Izaak Michell is excited to make his ONE Championship debut this week when he competes at ONE Fight Night 21.
The 25-year-old grappler knows that he is stepping onto a huge stage against one of the best in the world but that is exactly where he can prove himself to be amongst the elite.
On April 5, Michell will challenge Tye Ruotolo for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
Both the stage and the opponent are big for Michell in his career as he looks to continue evolving as a world-class submission grappler. In an interview with ONE before his debut, he spoke about the prestige of competing for a world championship in the promotion and where he believes this ranks in the submission grappling world:
"I believe that ONE Championship is the biggest one because they're bringing in the best guys and they're definitely giving us better opportunities to look after ourselves as well. So, I think it's definitely up there and highly regarded, truly as big as anything else in the grappling world."
Izaak Michell faces an opponent that has helped to put ONE on the map in submission grappling
When talking of the pedigree that Izaak Michell mentioned, it's impossible to discredit what the Ruotolo brothers have helped bring to the promotion.
Both Tye and his brother Kade are two of the very best grapplers in the world today and they have both achieved great things as two world champions in the promotion.
The recognition that they bring to the table is going to elevate anything that they do and that helps to make ONE's grappling divisions be seen as the elite level of competition.
Michell knows that this is what he faces on April 5 but grasping this opportunity with both hands could become one of the most important moments in his young career.
ONE Fight Night 21 will air live and free in US prime time for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.