Tye Ruotolo says he’s the ‘luckiest in the world’ after pioneering submission win over Izaak Michell
Reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo couldn't contain his happiness after his successful first world title defense against Izaak Michell in the co-headliner of the ONE Fight Night 21 card this past weekend with a 'Ruotolotine' submission finish.
Tye Ruotolo displayed an incredible performance in front of the packed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium crowd in Bangkok, Thailand, and he attributed it to his gratitude for all the things that he currently has.
The 21-year-old American explained it during his post-fight interview inside the ring, as he stated:
"I'm stoked to have the opportunity to represent my jiu-jitsu here once again. I'm so blessed to be here. Honestly, I just found God a couple of months ago. I've never been religious my whole life and I was wondering how I've been so blessed my entire life, it had to make sense, you know?"
Tye Ruotolo claimed that this latest triumph has made him feel like he is the most fortunate man right now, as he added:
"Through God. I feel so lucky, the [luckiest] man in the world and I'm just so blessed to be here and so happy."
It was the Atos representative's sixth straight win under the world's largest martial arts organization since his promotional debut in May 2022. Other fighters on his hit list were Magomed Abdulkadirov, Reinier de Ridder, Marat Gafurov, and Garry Tonon.
Tye Ruotolo secures $50,000 bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO with his twin brother Kade
The famous Ruotolo twins not only swept their respective assignments during the fight card but also had identical submission maneuvers to force a tap out of their opponents. Kade also pulled off the 'Ruotolotine' against Francisco Lo earlier in the card.
Due to these pioneering submission wins, they both earned an additional $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, to cap off the exciting card.
They joined Ben Tynan as the recipients of the $50K incentive.
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 21 via the free event replay.