Danielle Kelly feels Reinier de Ridder’s approach against Tye Ruotolo was too defensive

Danielle Kelly believes ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder played things a little too safe in his matchup with Tye Ruotolo.

In May, ‘The Dutch Knight’ made his second appearance in ONE Championship’s stacked submission grappling division for a showdown with the 20-year-old BJJ prodigy. De Ridder went the distance with Ruotolo but offered up little offense throughout the 10-minute affair.

Speaking with Brendan Schaub on his Thicc Boy YouTube channel, Danielle Kelly suggested that Reinier de Ridder was entirely defensive against the IBJJF world champion.

“I'm probably gonna say his name wrong [Reinier de Ridder], I was there for that, you know,” Kelly said. “A lot of people, like I thought Tye was just gonna submit him, but he did really well against him, but just like certain strategies that you know a strict MMA guy who has like basic decent jiu-jitsu against a really high-level jiu-jitsu guy like Tye and his brother, you know."

She added:

“He was able to kind of hold off a lot of submissions and takedowns because you're not playing the game [the attacking game].”

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Danielle Kelly and Tye Ruotolo join the ranks of ONE world champions

In November 23, Ruotolo claimed the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world champions by defeating Dagestani-wrestling standout Magomed Abdulkadirov in impressive fashion at ONE Fight Night 16.

A month prior, Danielle Kelly etched her own name in the history books by claiming the first-ever atomweight submission grappling talent via a dominant performance against former foe Jessa Khan. Having suffered a defeat against Khan in 2021, it was a moment of redemption for Kelly. But more importantly, it was a win that established her as perhaps the greatest female grappler in the sport today.

Who would you like to see Kelly defend her atomweight crown when she returns to the Circle?

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 14 replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.