Grappling phenom Tye Ruotolo promises to ‘fight hard’ when inevitable MMA debut happens

During his run in ONE Championship, Tye Ruotolo has proved that he is willing to take on any challenge that is put in front of him.

In his last two contests, the jiu-jitsu specialist went from facing ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder at ONE Fight Night 10 to taking a short notice contest last week.

As a late addition to the ONE Fight Night 13 card, Ruotolo competed against another MMA specialist in Dagi Arslanaliev, making another statement by wrapping up a quick submission victory inside the revered Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

With his win streak under the ONE Championship banner, the elite grappler has earned a shot at the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship.

While his focus is on joining his brother Kade as a submission grappling titleholder, both Ruotolo brothers have also spoken about testing themselves in MMA at some point in the future.

Showcasing his willingness to take risks and thrive in those scenarios, Tye Ruotolo was asked after his win on August 4 as to whether he would change his approach when competing in MMA.

Staying true to what has made him an elite competitor in submission grappling, Ruotolo said that his mentality when he transitions to the all-encompassing discipline would not change.

If someone wants to step up and challenge him, he is willing to go toe-to-toe with them and see who comes out on top. In an interview with the South China Morning Post after submitting Arslanaliev, he said:

“If someone comes at me, I’m ready to fight hard.”

Watch the full interview below:

North American viewers can catch all the action from ONE Fight Night 13 via the free event replay on Amazon Prime Video.