“They have a bright future” - Adriano Moraes believes the Ruotolo Brothers are destined for MMA greatness
ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes has been hanging out a lot with ONE's lethal grappling twins, the Ruotolo Brothers, lately. 'Mikinho' spent a lot of time training, hanging out and doing all sorts of activities with the prodigious siblings.
Despite Kade and Tye Ruotolo mainly focusing on taking the jiu-jitsu world by storm at the moment, they have been lending their expertise to help out Moraes with his MMA grappling game.
Being a jiu-jitsu blackbelt himself, Adriano Moraes has been known to use his magnificent ground game to dominate his opponents in the circle. Speaking to ONE Championship, 'Mikinho' was asked if the Ruotolo Brothers have the potential to make it big in MMA as well.
To this, 'Mikinho' said:
"They told me that they want to make this transition to MMA. They have this desire to go to MMA and the idea of making their debut in ONE Championship. I thought it was really cool because they already have above-average grappling. Now they will practice striking and try their luck. I believe they have a bright future ahead of them in MMA."
Though we respect Moraes' expert opinion, we beg to differ when he says "above average" describing the Ruotolos' grappling. The two make world-class blackbelts look like amateurs on the mats with them.
If Kade and Tye put in just as much effort and dedication in MMA training as they do in jiu-jitsu, they're bound to secure world titles in the future.
Adriano Moraes will rematch Demetrious Johnson with the belt on the line on August 26
To mark the beginning of ONE's major partnership with Amazon Prime Video, ONE flyweight king Adriano Moraes will face MMA great Demetrious Johnson once again at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II.
The August 26 event will air live in US primetime.
The first time the two met, Moraes shocked the MMA world by becoming the first man to ever knock 'Mighty Mouse' out. In the much-anticipated rematch, 'Mikinho' still plans on finishing the MMA great, albeit in a different way.
Speaking to ONE Championship, Moraes said:
"This is the kind of fight that is very difficult to predict. Demetrious Johnson is a very smart guy, very tough, and I know he’s coming in very hungry for this rematch. I’m training a lot. I want to show my evolution as an athlete, so I believe I can get a submission in the fourth round.”
Though these are humble words from the world champion, you can definitely admire the specific prediction he's made. Perhaps Adriano Moraes' lengthy time training with the Ruotolo Brothers will allow his prediction to turn into reality come August 26.