Tye Ruotolo admits he ‘got lucky’ in armbar win over Kade at 2021 IBJJF worlds: “I knew Kade was on fire”

At ONE Fight Night 21, Tye Ruotolo and his twin brother Kade will both be featured on the card. This placement serves as a testament to the impressive accomplishments the brothers have attained within ONE Championship.

Despite the unwavering support the two siblings have shown for each other in their respective careers, it is not uncommon for a competitive dynamic to arise between them.

In 2021, Tye Ruotolo emerged victorious as the two brothers faced off in the finals of the IBJJF World Championships in the brown belt Lightweight division.

During a recent interview on The Shintaro Higashi Show, Tye discussed his encounter with the other person, admitting that he was the luckier one on that occasion and not necessarily the superior grappler. He stated:

“When we met in the finals I was already thinking like okay I’m gonna have to pull something out of the hat for sure because I wasn’t feeling good, you know. I knew Kade was on fire and then yeah, that match went kind of how I thought it was going to go, like back-and-forth.”

Tye went on to explain that the outcome of the contest was already evident until he seized the opportunity to act on a split second decision.

“But Kade started to take it a little bit more, you could tell he’s a little fresher and he’s just on top of it more, and then I just created an opportunity and I got lucky on an armbar a little bit.”

View the entire interview down below:

Their competitive drive has elevated Kade and Tye Ruotolo to the top levels of grappling

Kade and Tye Ruotolo find no greater advantage than sharing the bond of being elite grapplers as siblings.

The two brothers have consistently trained with each other every day as they grew up, explaining why they have both achieved the same elite level.

Both Kade and his teammate hold submission grappling titles in ONE Championship. While Kade will not be defending his title at ONE Fight Night 21, they will both still be participating in the event.

On April 5, Tye will defend his welterweight title in the co-main event against Izaak Michell. In addition, Kade will face off against Francisco Lo in a catchweight match-up.

For North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription, ONE Fight Night 21 will be broadcasted live and free during U.S. primetime.