“Technique is always more scary than strength” – Tye Ruotolo says rolling with twin brother Kade is a tough ask

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo says rolling with his twin brother and fellow ONE world champion Kade Ruotolo is more of a mental challenge than anything else.

Tye Ruotolo is currently scheduled to put his title on the line for the first time when he heads to the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar for ONE 166.

He will defend his belt against ONE newcomer Izaak Michell, a well-respected Australian grappler who has worked under some of the biggest names in the game, including John Danaher and Craig Jones.

Ahead of his highly anticipated return to the circle, Tye Ruotolo appeared on a recent episode of The Fighter and The Kid to talk about what it’s like going toe-to-toe with his brother Kade Ruotolo in the gym:

“When you have a twin brother, you already kind of know his next move anyway, you know? So then when you roll together so much your whole lives it's just like, even if I can fight someone so big, so strong, it's always worse fighting my brother, you know? 'Cause technique is always more scary than strength,” he said.

“Like we know what we want to do so far ahead of what we know when we're actually doing it you know so it's always just like a mental battle.”

See the episode below:

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Kade Ruotolo puts his title on the line against a familiar foe

Before Tye Ruotolo makes his first appearance of 2024, he will see current ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo make his own return to the circle in Tokyo, Japan, on January 28 for ONE 165.

Kade Ruotolo puts his 26 pounds of gold on the line against a familiar foe in Tommy Langaker. The two BJJ specialists went the distance during their inaugural meeting at ONE Fight Night 11 in June.

Langaker ultimately came up short on the scorecards, but his performance was solid enough to justify receiving another shot at Ruotolo’s title.

Will the second time be the charm for the Norwegian standout, or will the Ruotolo brothers continue their dominance over the submission grappling division?

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will be available via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.