Adriano Moraes sides with Tye Ruotolo vs Reinier de Ridder: “He has more advantages”

Eight-time ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes believes Tye Ruotolo will hold the advantage when he meets the promotion’s reigning middleweight titleholder in a submission grappling superfight on Friday night.

After securing impressive back-to-back submissions against Garry Tonon and Marat Gafurov, Tye Ruotolo will return to the circle determined to make it three in a row. Standing in his way will be the current ONE middleweight world champion hungry for a win after suffering the first loss of his mixed martial career in December.

Moraes, who is gearing up for his ONE epic ONE flyweight world title showdown with division rival Demetrious Johnson, shared his thoughts on Ruotolo vs. de Ridder at ONE Fight Night 10:

“It will be a big grappling fight. I had the honor of training with Tye Rotolo when I was in California last year... He is a very tough guy and will make for a great fight. I believe Tye, being [pure] grappler, his jiu-jitsu will be sharper. I see that he has more advantages in this fight.”

Just a few short hours after Tye Ruotolo and Reinier de Ridder handle their business inside the circle, Adriano Moraes will step into the main event spotlight for a highly anticipated trilogy bout with the reigning ONE flyweight world champion, Demetrious Johnson.

With the series tied at 1-1 with each man holding a highlight-reel victory over the other, ONE Fight Night 10 will host the final encounter between two of the division’s greatest.

For Adriano Moraes, it could be his last chance to call himself a ONE world champion. For Demetrious Johnson, it could very well be his last fight after nearly 20 years of dominance. Either way, it’s a fight you can’t afford to miss.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch ONE Fight Night 10 live and for free in U.S. primetime this Friday night.