Tye Ruotolo reveals he wasn't 100 percent heading into Jozef Chen grappling war: "It has been affecting my nerve"
Tye Ruotolo fought through pain against his very game opponent Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Nigth 23 last weekend.
After 10 minutes of back-and-forth action, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling king edged out the 19-year-old phenom in their non-title bout via unanimous decision.
While Chen's prodigious skills certainly made this match closer than most fans expected, it also seemed Ruotolo wasn't his usual self.
Turns out, the youngest IBJJF world champion was plagued by a bothersome neck throughout his fight camp, which carried over to his match with Chen.
The Atos standout told the media during his ONE Fight Night 23 post-event interview:
"I can really just sit here and make a bunch of excuses. But just within my camp, I was sick for most of it. And even before the fight, I was feeling a bit off. I've been going through a couple of little neck things. It has kind of been affecting a little bit of my nerve, the vagus nerve."
Tye Ruotolo was tested from the opening bell until the final horn. After scoring a double blast takedown, the 21-year-old had trouble passing the South African's tricky guard.
Despite not being at his best, Ruotolo remained aggressive all throughout and dictated the pace of the match, which ultimately netted him the victory.
Prime Video subscribers in North America can rewatch this chess match along with the rest of ONE Fight Night 23 free, on demand.
Tye Ruotolo vows to get a finish in his next match
Tye Ruotolo is his own biggest critic and he admittedly gets down on himself despite winning, especially when he fails to submit opponents.
While Chen is arguably a terrific adversary, the 21-year-old holds himself to a higher standard and wants to take matters into his own hands each time.
Ruotolo, though, promised to get healthy and secure another highlight reel finish when he returns.
The welterweight grappling king added:
"Even on all my worst days, I just gotta man up and get it done, and that's what I did. In my next performance, I will be better. I'm going to go home and get in front of everything that would prevent me from having a great performance. In my next one, I'll perform how I'm supposed to."
Here's the full interview: