“Everybody is excited for this fight” – Izaak Michell thrilled long-awaited clash with Tye Ruotolo is finally happening

After discussing the possibility of a matchup for several months, Izaak Michell is eagerly anticipating his upcoming face-off with Tye Ruotolo.

In November 2023, Ruotolo further enhanced his already impressive resume by defeating Magomed Abdulkadirov via unanimous decision to claim the title of the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion. Just six months later, at the age of 21, he will defend his championship for the first time.

Ruotolo will be making his sixth submission grappling appearance under the ONE banner on April 5. This time, he will be facing his toughest test yet as he takes on debutant Izaak Michell in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 21.

During his interview with CountFilms TV, Michell, who was highly regarded, shared his thoughts on challenger Ruotolo and his chances of winning the world title.

“It was a great opportunity. The match was talked about six months ago, maybe longer. We knew we were going against each other at some point like both being in the same division for ADCC, that was a potential matchup. Shortly afterwards we talked about a matchup with each other but it didn’t happen until today. I’m excited for it, there’s a lot of anticipation for it. Everybody is excited for this fight.”

The highly anticipated ONE Fight Night 21 will take place at the renowned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and can be viewed live for free by North American audiences with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

To view Michell’s full interview, watch the video below:

Other Featured Fighters at ONE Fight Night 21

At ONE Fight Night 21, there will be more than just the Tye Ruotolo vs. Izaak Michell world title matchup. The main event will feature Regian Eersel defending his ONE lightweight kickboxing world title against newcomer Alexis Nicolas, who boasts a perfect kickboxing record of 23-0.

Additionally, the Friday event will showcase an exciting grappling showdown between Kade Ruotolo and Francisco Lo, as well as a thrilling Muay Thai match between Suablack and Vladimir Kuzmin. The night will also see the comeback of heavyweight MMA fighter Ben Tynan, along with other exciting matches.

Take a look at the list of matches for the OFN 21 fight card below: