“Handled business to bring that belt home” - Tye Ruotolo reflects on his inaugural world title win at ONE Championship

Tye Ruotolo voiced his gratitude to everybody who helped him on the way to becoming a submission grappling world champion in ONE Championship.

Last Friday was a special night for Ruotolo as he had the opportunity to become the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion. It took all ten minutes before the 20-year-old could bask in his glory due to a unanimous decision win against Magomed Abdulkadirov.

Following his world title win, Ruotolo shared a short highlight reel of his performance on Instagram with the caption:

“Handled business to bring the belt back home. Thank you to my family, team and fans for the support. Grateful for another chance to be on stage and do what I love most 🙌🏽 @onechampionship @rvcasport @shoyoroll @jockofuel @jaxxon @aiponocafe @galvaobjj”

Tye Ruotolo made his ONE Championship debut in May 2022. Since then, he’s established himself as one of the superstars for the promotion’s expansion into submission grappling by securing five consecutive wins, leading to multiple $50,000 performance bonuses.

The future is bright for Tye and his twin brother, Kade Ruotolo, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion. During his ONE Fight Night 16 post-fight interview, Tye claimed his brother is ready to transition to MMA, while he plans to continue grappling for now.

It’s unclear what’s next for Tye Ruotolo, but there’s no doubt he has the skills to defend his world title against anyone on the planet. Only time will tell who gets the opportunity to potentially dethrone the American phenom.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 16 can be seen for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.