Kade Ruotolo says twin brother Tye tapped Gordon Ryan with a D’Arce Choke while they were only teens
ONE lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo said that he and his twin brother Tye have always steadily worked on their game, which has seen them cross paths with some of the best in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
One of which is no-gi legend Gordon Ryan, who he said was forced by his brother to tap out when they were younger.
The 21-year-old Atos standout shared this an interview on the Jaxxon Podcast as he touched on the incredible journey they have had so far in BJJ.
Ruotolo said:
"I've trained with him [Ryan] a couple of times in Miami back when I was 16 or 17, something like that. I never got to sub him but my brother caught him with a pretty clean D'Arce from on top. He tapped, 100 percent. I swear we got it on footage, too."
Watch the interview below:
The Ruotolo brothers have expanded their BJJ success into ONE Championship since coming on board in 2022. Both have been undefeated so far and willed their way to becoming world champions and among the noted faces of submission grappling in the promotion.
Kade Ruotolo became the lightweight grappling champion in October 2022 and has successfully defended his belt three times. He was recently in action at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas, forcing into submission Brazilian fighter Francisco Lo with a 'Ruotolo-tine' choke in their catchweight (180 pounds) submission grappling clash.
Tye Ruotolo was also a winner at ONE Fight Night 21, successfully defending the welterweight grappling world title for the first time against Australian Izaak Michell also by way of submission (Ruotolo-tine choke).
Replay of ONE Fight Night 21 is available for North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Kade Ruotolo says twin brother Tye is the true innovator of their slick 'Ruotolo-tine' choke
Kade Ruotolo and twin brother Tye were among the big winners at ONE Fight Night 21 on April 5 in Thailand. Both won by way of impressive submissions through the newly christened 'Ruotolo-tine' choke, which Tye developed.
A move combining facets of a rear-naked choke and arm-triangle choke, Kade said it was his brother Tye, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, who was the true innovator of the hybrid choke they employed in their recent wins.
Kade Ruotolo said:
"He's [Tye] the one who showed me it, and he does it tome all the time. So I knew he absolutely had the potential to do it."
Watch the interview below:
At ONE Fight Night 21, Kade Ruotolo defeated Brazilian Francisco Lo in their catchweight submission grappling joust. Tye, meanwhile, retained the ONE welterweight grappling world title over Australian challenger Izaak Michell.
Both earned $50,000 performance bonuses from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for the wins.