"Super-great experience" - Tye Ruotolo relishes cornering his brother Kade

Tye Ruotolo pulled double duty on the night o his ONE Championship debut.

Before he made his official in-match debut for the promotion, Ruotolo was in the corner when his twin brother Kade took on Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in a submission grappling match at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot last Friday.

Ruotolo eventually made his debut and submitted Garry Tonon the next match after.

During the post-fight virtual press conference, Ruotolo said that coaching was a two-way process. He was shouting pointers to his brother, while Kade showed him how to operate inside a cage.

The Ruotolo twins coaching each other wasn’t new since they’ve been sharing ideas even before they made their way into ONE Championship.

Tye Ruotolo said:

“My brother and I have been coaching each other our whole lives and this wasn’t our first rodeo, it’s nothing new to us. My brother and I, we’re each other’s biggest supporters and no one wants to see each other win more than each other. We're our biggest supporters and our biggest critics as well.”

Kade recorded a unanimous decision win against Aoki, while his twin submitted Tonon with a D’Arce choke less than two minutes into their bout.

Discussing what he learned from watching his brother in action first, Tye said:

“Coming off his match, he told me all the things that I should know like going into the cage. The circle is a bit different than the mats and he was able to give me all the great tips that I needed and that was a super-great experience coaching beside him.”

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Tye Ruotolo was determined to submit Tonon after Kade’s match

Although Kade displayed unparalleled creativity during his match, he couldn’t get the submission he wanted over Aoki.

The former ONE lightweight world champion fought more of a defensive battle, while Kade looked for any possible opportunity for a submission. Although it ultimately resulted in a unanimous decision win for his brother, Tye Ruotolo said he was motivated to submit Tonon.

Ruotolo put words into action when he forced Tonon to submit with a well-crafted D’Arce choke less than two minutes into their fight. Ruotolo not only got the submission, but he also received a $50,000 bonus for his victory.

“I was stoked that he got the win and I wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t get the sub, he had a great performance and was attacking the entire time. I think Shinya is such a legend, but he did that fight a bit defensively so it made it a bit difficult for Kade to get the sub.”

Tye Ruotolo added:

“That definitely motivated me to get the sub in my match for sure. I said that Kade couldn’t get the sub and I knew I was gonna get it no matter what.”