Tye Ruotolo on why opponents refuse to take risks against him: “I guess I’m starting to create a big enough name”

Sometimes, your reputation and success as a martial artist can work against you on fight night, and Tye Ruotolo is finding out all about that in due time.

Since arriving in ONE Championship, both he and his brother Kade have established themselves as two of the most exciting grapplers in the world today.

Not only are both 20-year-olds two of the very best in the world today, they bring a fast-paced and aggressive style to the circle that makes their matches exciting for as long as it lasts.

Unfortunately, the counterpoint to that is the expectations that their opponents in ONE Championship bring with them on fight night.

Weary of being submitted by either competitor, their opponents can often remain in a defensive shell, doing what they can to avoid opening themselves up for a submission.

While that usually results in them suffering a defeat due to ONE Championship’s submission grappling ruleset, which favors aggression and submission threats, it doesn’t make for the most engaging viewing experience.

This past weekend at ONE Fight Night 16, Tye Ruotolo was successful in becoming the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion. Defeating Magomed Abdulkadirov by clearly winning the decision at the end of the time limit, Ruotolo was disappointed to not have found the finish.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, he spoke about how his reputation may be working against him in terms of his opponents approach match-ups with him in a certain way:

“My last couple of opponents haven't you know, I think I guess I'm starting to create a big enough name to where people don't want to attack me.”

Watch the full interview below:

Submission win or not, Ruotolo got the job done at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, to join his brother Kade by becoming one of four submission grappling world champions on the roster.

North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 16 via the free event replay.