Tye Ruotolo says aggressive fighters “usually end up getting submitted” when they face either him or twin brother Kade
It's either a decision or a submission for Kade and Tye Ruotolo, and there's no other option after those two.
The Ruotolo brothers are considered two of the most innovative submission grapplers in the world, and their offense-heavy styles led them to world title success in ONE Championship, IBJJF, and ADCC.
Kade is the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion and an ADCC world champion, while Tye is the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion and an IBJJF world champion.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Tye said he and his brother would often prefer to face fighters who share the same offensive philosophy as they have since it produces some of the best fights.
Tye Ruotolo pointed out that defensive grapplers often lose to them via decision or points, but aggressive fighters are the ones who are quickly subjected to their deadly BJJ game.
"I think the common denominator there is when people come to us to fight, they usually end up getting submitted. Garry [Tonon] came to fight. Shinya [Aoki] was a little bit more defensive, Reinier [de Ridder] was a bit more defensive, those matches we didn't get the sub. Guys that really come for us, come to attack."
The brothers have identical 5-0 records in ONE Championship, but Tye's count of three submissions beat Kade's record of one.
Tye secured submission wins over BJJ legend Garry Tonon, former ONE featherweight MMA world champion Marat Gafurov, and Dagi Arslanaliev in his run in the promotion.
The 21-year-old looks to push that submission count to four when he puts his gold on the line against Australian standout Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21 on Friday, US primetime.
ONE Fight Night 21 goes down at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Tye Ruotolo ready for Izaak Michell's wrestling in world title matchup
Tye Ruotolo often clamored for exciting fighters to face him, and he's getting his demands met when Izaak Michell challenges him for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title in Bangkok.
Michell, much like Tye, is an aggressive grappler who uses wrestling to bring fights to the ground.
Instead of pulling guard, Michell and Tye would shoot for takedowns during their matches before passing to favorable positions on the mat.
In the same interview, Tye said:
"A lot of people are trying to say he has the best wrestling in jiu-jitsu. I think he's a very tough opponent."