ONE Fight Night 16: Tye Ruotolo-Magomed Abdulkadirov set for inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling crown

Tye Ruotolo could join his brother as a ONE world champion by the time ONE Fight Night 16 wraps up on Friday, November 3.

After earning his latest high-profile win against Dagi Arslanaliev this past August, ONE Championship confirmed that the other half of the Ruotolo twin will gain a shot at the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title.

That matchup is now confirmed for the 16th edition of ONE’s Fight Night series. Tye Ruotolo’s dance partner inside the circle will be promotional newcomer Magomed Abdulkadirov, who aims to steal his thunder and claim the biggest win of his career.

The matchup was first reported by MMA News, and later confirmed by ONE Championship.

The 10-minute submission-only matchup will serve as the co-main event of the bill, just before the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title main event showdown between striking specialists Jonathan Haggerty and Fabricio Andrade.

Through a 4-0 run under the ONE banner, the 20-year-old has done more than enough to impress the worldwide audience and make submission grappling great again.

Not only has he submitted elite grapplers like Garry Tonon, Marat Gafurov, and recently Arslanaliev, but he’s done so in some fashion while claiming a trio of US$50,000 performance bonuses.

His ruthless yet attractive grappling style has positioned him to be on the cusp of another significant moment in his young career, and he hopes to make the most of it and start 2024 as a ONE world champion.

Abdulkadirov is no fish in the water, nor would he be a walk in the park for the Atos graduate, though. The skilled Russian loves a challenge and performs at his best when the lights are at their brightest.

With so much at stake ahead of his promotional bow, the 32-year-old – an ADCC European Trials Champion and a veteran of the prestigious ADCC World Championships – will want to make a statement as soon as he steps on the global stage.

If he can get past Tye Ruotolo with the plethora of submissions within his gallery, Abdulkadirov could walk away with one of the biggest upsets of ONE Championship in 2023.

However, Tye Ruotolo doesn’t look like dropping a set anytime soon and many are expecting him to do the inevitable come ONE Fight Night 16 on Friday, November 3.

The entire bill will be available to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.