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Back in May 2023, Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Tye Ruotolo showed then-ONE middleweight MMA world champion Reinier de Ridder that there are levels to his sport.
De Ridder, who previously held both ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles at the time, prides himself on being one of the few grappling specialists to ever hold a belt in the sport.
Despite the Dutch grappler's jiu-jitsu acumen and size and weight advantage (at least 30 pounds), he had a hard time giving the smaller Ruotolo a worthy fight.
Tye Ruotolo, who is the youngest International Brazilian Jiujitsu Federation (IBJJF) world champion ever, defeated 'The Dutch Knight' via a unanimous decision following a grueling 10-minute submission grappling battle.
After defeating de Ridder, Ruotolo soundly dispatched Dagi Arslanaliev via rear-naked choke, which won him a performance bonus and a guaranteed world title shot.
The BJJ prodigy then capped off his 2023 by capturing gold after soundly defeating Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title.
Watch the full bout between Ruotolo and De Ridder here:
Tye Ruotolo to defend his belt against Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21
On April 5, inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Tye Ruotolo will defend his newly acquired throne against Aussie grappling standout Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21.
Michell has had quite the tutelage as he was formerly a star student of legendary BJJ coach John Danaher. After leaving Danaher's gym, Michell moved back to Australia to train under the guidance of another Danaher alum, Craig Jones - one of the greatest submission grapplers alive today.
Interestingly, Ruotolo has had his sights set on the Australian behemoth for some time now - even before he won the belt. After his win over the aforementioned Dagi Arslanaliev, the prodigious grappler proposed a fight between him and Michell for the strap.
Ruotolo instead got Abdulkadirov for the inaugural world title. Despite the slight detour, however, the newly minted world champion ultimately got his wish. This has the potential to steal the show.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 21 card live and for free in U.S. primetime on Friday, April 5.
