“His style of jiu-jitsu intrigues me” – Tye Ruotolo expects all-out grappling aggression from Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21

Tye Ruotolo has always been determined to face an opponent who can keep up with his dynamic style, and his wish is coming true at ONE Fight Night 21.

The current ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion will defend his title against Australian standout Izaak Michell in the co-main event of this Friday’s card, which will air during US primetime.

Prior to his world title defense at the renowned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Ruotolo shared with the South China Morning Post his fascination with Michell’s aggressive fighting style.

Tye Ruotolo commented that Michell possesses a comparable level of aggression in his playing style, and their potential match in Bangkok would surely be an exciting event.

“He is, for sure. His style of jiu-jitsu intrigues me. Number one, I know he likes to fight hard and he’s very aggressive, you know, which is good because I like when people are aggressive towards me. It definitely brings a bigger and better beast out of me.”

Despite being a fearless competitor, Ruotolo always aims to secure the submission victory whenever he competes in ONE Championship.

The American prodigy currently holds a flawless record of 5-0 in ONE Championship and most recently secured a impressive win against Russian wrestler Magomed Abdulkadirov.

Similarly to all of ONE Championship’s Amazon cards, ONE Fight Night 21 is also accessible live and at no cost to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

View Ruotolo’s interview down below:

Izaak Michell impressed by Tye Ruotolo’s relentless and daring approach

Tye Ruotolo and Izaak Michell have not yet had the opportunity to confront each other directly, but it is clear that there is a strong mutual respect between the two fighters.

During his interview with ONE Championship, Michell praised Ruotolo for consistently standing out above the competition in the highly competitive world of submission grappling.

Michell was impressed by Ruotolo’s approach of setting a fast pace and taking the fight to his adversaries.

“What he does well is he’s very aggressive, but at the same time, he can change his intensity and be smooth, and he’s not afraid to do anything that comes up. So, he might not know or specialize in this move, but he’s willing to do it when it counts in the big competition.”