"MMA next" - Australian star Izaak Michell throws a new challenge altogether at world champ twins Tye and Kade Ruotolo

Australian grappler Izaak Michell wants to take his rivalry with the Ruotolo brothers to the next level by challenging them both to an MMA duel.

The Aussie sensation has thrown in some lighthearted jokes on Instagram this week before leaving Australia to fight Tye Ruotolo for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title in Thailand at ONE Fight Night 21.

Stirring up the competitive nature of his future rivals, Michell jokingly pitched an MMA duel with the twins following their jiu-jitsu careers in ONE Championship.

Excited to leave Sydney for Bangkok, the promotional newcomer tagged the Ruotolo brothers with this message:

"MMA next @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu?? @onechampionship High spirits heading to Thailand this morning, april 6th we're on. Let's go. To be fair I don't think I'd be so stoked if I were heading into an MMA bout lol.."

Submission specialist Izaak Michell has plenty of reasons to feel excited this week. The accomplished brown belt is set to challenge Tye Ruotolo for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title this Friday, April 5, at the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

After taking on the grappling scene with his unparalleled jiu-jitsu skills, Michell is primed for world title glory in ONE. The former B-Team representative is known for his slick submissions over high-profile grapplers in the game, such as Shamil Shikhshabekov and Kyle Chambers.

Capturing gold in nearly every high-stakes tournament in jiu-jitsu, Michell now has his heart set on becoming the next welterweight submission grappling king of the world.

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Tye Ruotolo expects to have an extremely physical war with Izaak Michell at OFN21

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo expects Izaak Michell to use his physicality to try to thwart him of the crown.

Tye is by far one of the most physical athletes of his generation today. The idea that he gets to test his skills against an equally aggressive fighter in his Aussie opposition gets him pumped for their upcoming war on Friday.

Stylistically, they are both perfectly matched. They are submission-heavy grapplers who bring a lot of energy to their bouts. Therefore, Tye anticipated nothing but a 10-minute slugfest with Michell.

Speaking to ONE, he said:

"I think it's gonna be a war the first couple of minutes. I think he's gonna come forward, and I think he's gonna use his physicality a lot. One hundred percent, he's gonna me me mad, so I'm really excited."

ONE Fight Night 21 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.