"People haven't seen what I can do" - Izaak Michell wants to introduce himself to the mainstream by unseating Tye Ruotolo
Izaak Michell is ready to silence the doubters in his ONE Championship debut against Tye Ruotolo.
At 25 years old, Michell has separated himself from other top-tier jiu-jitsu practitioners with the help of his current and former coaches, John Danaher, Renzo Gracie, and Lloyd Irvin. The Aussie has proven his worth by performing well in various tournaments and now looks to take the next step in his competitive career.
On April 5, Michell will compete under the ONE banner for the first time at ONE Fight Night 21. The former Who's #1 tournament winner has received a massive opportunity to skyrocket his marketability as he will ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in the co-main event.
During an interview with CountFilms TV, Michell has this to say about his upcoming match against Ruotolo:
"A lot of people put me as a heavy underdog right now, but I think world-class competitors who I've trained with know how good I am. People just haven't seen what I can do yet. So hopefully that comes out, God willing, and hope for the best."
ONE Fight Night 21, which goes down inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, can be seen live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch Michell's entire interview below:
What's Tye Ruotolo's ONE Championship record heading into match against Izaak Michell?
Tye Ruotolo made his ONE Championship debut, defeating Garry Tonon via submission. The American superstar followed up his impressive performance by taking out Marat Gafurov, Reinier de Ridder, and Dagi Arslanaliev.
In Nov. 2023, Ruotolo received the opportunity to face Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title. Although he didn't secure a finish, the 21-year-old dominated Abdulkadirov to secure a unanimous decision win and extend his promotional record to 5-0.
Later this week, Ruotolo looks for his fourth submission win under the ONE banner when he faces Izaak Michell in the ONE Fight Night 21 co-main event.