3 reasons why Tye Ruotolo can submit Reinier de Ridder

Tye Ruotolo and Reinier de Ridder exchanged some friendly banter backstage at ONE on Prime Video 5 last December.

Five months later, the pair will meet again on opposite sides of the Circle in ONE Championship’s monumental United States on-location debut.

A middleweight submission grappling match between the two ground maestros will take place at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video.

Tye, who’s one-half of the sensational Ruotolo twins alongside Kade, needs no introduction after submitting formidable opponents like Garry Tonon and Marat Gafurov.

‘The Dutch Knight’, on the other hand, is the reigning ONE middleweight world champion and one of the best grapplers in MMA today. He more than held his own against Ruotolo’s mentor Andre Galvao in their grappling war last year.

Despite ‘RDR’s' glowing resume, the 20-year-old vowed to finish him one way or the other.

Here are three reasons why Tye Ruotolo can submit Reinier de Ridder at ONE Fight Night 10.

Prime Video subscribers can watch the entire card for free on May 5, which will emanate from the 1stBank Center in Colorado.

#3 Unlimited gas tank

What makes Tye Ruotolo a must-watch is his relentless pursuit of submissions, which means he puts the pedal to the metal for the entire duration of his matches.

That punishing pace will be key against the hulking De Ridder, who might find himself drowning in deep waters the longer the fight goes against his younger and more energetic foe.

The youngest IBJJF black belt world champion prides himself on always putting up exciting fights, which is made possible by that maniacal pace.

While Ruotolo has been slowly adding weight over the years, he has made it a point to retain his agility and conditioning.

It is also worth noting that Ruotolo and RDR will fight at altitude, meaning the guy with the better gas tank should have the edge.

#2 Killer instinct

As mentioned, both Ruotolo brothers are notorious for being ultra-aggressive in their matches.

It’s not unusual for Tye and Kade to go all in on wild transitions and scrambles just so they can complete their submission entries.

Once Tye Ruotolo gets a hold of an opponent’s neck or limb, he refuses to let go until that person taps.

For instance, the Atos standout caught Garry Tonon with his signature D’Arce choke back in his ONE debut. The American phenom applied a frightening squeeze that had the veteran grappler tapping in just 97 seconds.

He then showcased his ruthless creativity against Marat Gafurov last time out, submitting the former featherweight world champion with a nasty armbar/wrist lock that had him wincing in agony.

Ruotolo even vowed to show De Ridder how to do the D’Arce choke correctly in their upcoming match.

#1 Tye Ruotolo is used to beating bigger guys

Another thing that makes Tye Ruotolo extremely likable is his affinity for fighting and beating opponents that hold physical advantages over him.

A natural lightweight, the Atos standout will once again be dwarfed by ‘The Dutch Knight’, who holds a six-inch advantage in height.

Ruotolo, for instance, displayed the true heart of a warrior with his third-place finish in the ADCC World Championships Absolute division last year.

The San Diego, California native took down monstrous opponents, including multi-time heavyweight BJJ World Champion Felipe Pena.

While de Ridder will wisely use his weight advantage to try and impose his will early, we’ve seen just how crafty Ruotolo is fighting from his back.

At ONE Fight Night 10, don’t be surprised if Tye Ruotolo gets the better of Reinier de Ridder in this David vs Goliath match-up.