Tye Ruotolo on Gordon Ryan rivalry: "I personally believe that my jiu-jitsu is definitely better"

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo has made bold claims about his grappling superiority over Gordon Ryan, suggesting that technique trumps physical advantages in elite-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition.

The 22-year-old Atos representative addressed the ongoing debate about who possesses the world's best jiu-jitsu skills between him and Ryan ahead of his lightweight MMA debut against Adrian Lee at ONE Fight Night 35 on September 5.

Before addressing how the American's success may have largely been down to performance-enhancing drugs, Tye Ruotolo told Clocked N Loaded:

"I was trying to scout Gordon for a while, and it was hard to make it happen. But, you know, I personally believe that my jiu-jitsu is definitely better than Gordon's for sure."

He further added:

"I think Gordon's success really came after he gained like 60 pounds of synthetic muscle. We've had a couple of rounds together. Yeah, he caught me in a heel hook one time, but I knew it wasn't pure; it wasn't technical. That's why I could tell. I've been doing jiu-jitsu since I was 3 years old. Every day of my life."

The ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion's lifelong dedication to the sport has seen him rack up an impressive streak in the world's largest martial arts organization and other submission grappling stages.

Watch the full interview here:

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Tye Ruotolo doubles down on why he wants Gordon Ryan matchup

In the same interview with Clocked N Loaded, Tye Ruotolo said his desire to fight against Gordon Ryan is only because he wants to fight the very best in the sport.

The Atos representative shared:

"I just, I always want to prove myself against the best. I always thought that I could beat Gordon, you know, so I always wanted a crack at him, you know."

For now, he hopes to utilize his bread and butter to great success when he debuts in the all-encompassing discipline at ONE Fight Night 35.

North American fans can watch his lightweight MMA debut against Lee, live in U.S. primetime for free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.