Rich Franklin not counting out Magomed Abdulkadirov against Tye Ruotolo: “He isn't the typical Dagestani wrestler”

Mixed martial arts icon and legend Rich Franklin refuses to completely diminish Magomed Abdulkadirov’s chances against heavy favorite Tye Ruotolo when the pair contest for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship this week.

The grappling wizards will slug it out inside the hallowed grounds of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, November 3. Franklin, like the entire combat sports world, is intrigued by this war that has fireworks written all over it.

In an appearance on the Weighing In podcast with 'Big' John McCarthy and Josh Thomson, the ONE Championship Vice President offered his thoughts and prediction on this impending barnburner.

Franklin said:

“I've watched Magomedov grapple, and obviously, I've seen Tye grapple, so I’m very familiar with his style. They're both very aggressive and stylistically, they're kind of similar. So I think that this is going to be a match where they really engage, and I don't think there's going to be much of a feeling-out process.”

He went on to add that this single-round contest should be a high-paced fight given Abdulkadirov’s approach and Tye Ruotolo’s determination to hunt for submissions while referring to the latter's clash versus Reinier de Ridder, which has since gone under the radar.

Franklin shared:

“I don't think we're going to have problems with the Reinier de Ridder vs. Tye Ruotolo. Hand fighting and defensive stuff. I think this one will get in the mix of it really quickly.”

Tye Ruotolo, alongside his twin brother, Kade, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, has impressed the watching world and taken submission grappling to new heights since inking a deal with ONE Championship.

He enters this contest riding a four-fight winning streak against de Ridder, Dagi Arslanaliev, Garry Tonon, and Marat Gafurov.

On the opposite end, Abdulkadirov is looking to make his promotional bow a memorable affair – and Franklin certainly sees something special within the Dagestani’s game.

The MMA legend offered:

“I know that Magomedov has a background in Sambo but he's also an ADCC European champ. But this isn't the typical [Dagestani wrestler].”

Watch the interview here:

ONE Fight Night 16 will air live and for free in U.S. primetime this Friday, November 3, for existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Global fans can check their local listing or download the ONE Super App to experience another action-packed night in ONE Championship.