Izaak Michell says Tye Ruotolo already mastered ONE's submission-only format: "He does really well"
Australian grappling sensation Izaak Michell is all ready to make his ONE Championship debut against the promotion's reigning and undisputed ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, Tye Ruotolo.
The 25-year-old phenom says his esteemed opponent is his toughest matchup yet and believes Ruotolo has mastered ONE Championship's unique submission-only format.
ONE Championship submission grappling matches last for one round of 10 minutes. If there is no submission and a clear winner at the end of regulation, the athlete with the most legitimate submission attempts or 'catches' wins the match.
Speaking in a recent guest appearance on CountFilms TV, Michell praised Ruotolo and the 21-year-old's many achievements in the world's largest martial arts organization.
He said:
"Tye's been doing really well with the catches [submission attempts] in ONE Championship. For the amount of submissions he throws, he gets a lot of catches and he does really well in submission-only format."
Michell challenges Ruotolo for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video. The event broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Izaak Michell says he is the perfect counter to Tye Ruotolo's frenetic grappling pace: "I like to stay calm in the chaos"
Australia's Izaak Michell believes his style trumps Tye Ruotolo's flow state movement and constant attack. The 25-year-old says staying cool in the heat of battle is the key to beating the defending champion.
He told CountFilms TV:
"I like to stay calm in the chaos, try to pick and time my shots when it's best to do it. I'm pretty aggressive in moving forward and hunting submissions."
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live on U.S. primetime, Friday, April 5th via Amazon Prime Video.