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Although they're not really from the same weight class, ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo and five-time ADCC World Champion Gordon Ryan's names will likely forever be intertwined.
After all, these two top-notch grapplers figured in a fiery verbal back-and-forth a few years back. Fans still want to see how a head-to-head match between these two would play out.
Tye Ruotolo, of course, has never been shy of calling out the biggest and baddest names in grappling, regardless of size. This includes formidable athletes like Nicholas Meregali and the aforementioned Ryan.
In an interview with ONE, Ruotolo once again aired his desire to duel Ryan in the near future. However, he did admit he still needs to put on some extra muscle to truly match-up well with arguably the best no-gi grappler in the world today.
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The Atos standout said:
"For me, I want to fight the toughest guys possible. I've been calling out Nicholas Meregali, it's the fight I've been wanting for a long time. Meregali and Gordon Ryan. The Gordon match, I can take some time. I want to get a little bit bigger before I fight him."
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Tye Ruotolo has grown into his body and has been sporting a fuller frame to match up with some of the behemoths of the sport.
The youngest IBJJF world champion has already proven he can not just hang but also slay giants, as we saw in his magnificent run in the Absolute division of the 2022 ADCC World Championships.
Tye Ruotolo gets his wish to grapple Izaak Michell in his first world title defense
It's not every day that the world champion is the one calling out potential challengers. Well, that's just how insanely competitive Tye Ruotolo is.
He wants to test himself against the best, and ONE gave him one of the names on his hitlist this coming Friday at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video.
Ruotolo will defend his 26 pounds of gold against Aussie standout Izaak Michell inside Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium.
Don't miss this epic showdown, which will air live in US primetime on April 5, free for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.
