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Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant Tye Ruotolo doesn't need to look too far for motivation ahead of his next fight under the ONE Championship spotlight.
The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion defends his gold against Izaak Michell in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 21, which emanates live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, in U.S. primetime this Friday, April 5.
At ONE Fight Night 16 in November last year, the 21-year-old finally earned his shot at the division's inaugural strap against Russian powerhouse Magomed Abdulkadirov.
Though he couldn't cap his historic victory in Bangkok with a submission, the California native earned his points with a D'Arce choke, a guillotine attempt, and an armbar in the dying seconds to join his twin brother, Kade, as two of four submission grappling world champions on the global stage.
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He reflected on that special night inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium during a recent appearance on The Shintaro Higashi Show.
Tye Ruotolo offered:
"It was a great day, you know, to finally get the belt wrapped around my waist. My brother had the belt for a little while now. So to be able to, you know, be the champ with him was truly remarkable."
Watch the full interview here:
Tye Ruotolo aims to conquer Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21
To complete his crowning achievement last year, Tye Ruotolo knows he has to successfully defend his ONE world title against Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21 this Friday.
Thus far, the Atos representative has enjoyed a pristine 5-0 run in ONE Championship, and he wants to carry on that healthy momentum at the expense of the Australian ground game specialist.
Though Michell's explosiveness and larger frame could mean he will have his work cut out, the American grappling sensation thinks otherwise.
In a separate interview, Tye Ruotolo told ONE Championship:
"Any time I fight big guys, the last thing I'm worried about is their physicality. I'm just looking for my windows and creating my windows."
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 21 card live and free in U.S. primetime this Friday, April 5.
