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Reigning and undisputed ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo recently revealed what went on in that bizarre ONE 165 sequence wherein his twin brother Kade offered to step in to fight Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki and make his MMA debut on the spot.
Aoki's original opponent last January, American MMA phenom 'Super' Sage Northcutt had pulled out of the fight at the last minute, shockingly just minutes before he was set to step into the Circle, citing corner issues.
Meanwhile backstage, Kade was raring to go and told ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong he wanted to make his MMA debut right then and there.
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Speaking to the South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Tye detailed the events that went on back stage, and it was wild.
The 21-year-old said:
"One hundred percent. I'm there to support my brother no matter what, anything that he does. I was hoping Sage was gonna be there and keep the show on, but some things kept happening. He didn't want to fight, so I was like, let's go Kade is on. We were shadowboxing. I'm keeping my hands up, just throwing there, one-two, one-two. It was classic."
What a crazy ride it would have been had Kade Ruotolo been allowed to fight Shinya Aoki. In the end, it was former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker, picked right from the crowd, who ended up replacing Northcutt.
Tye Ruotolo and brother Kade return to action at ONE Fight Night 21
Both Kade and Tye Ruotolo are set to see action this weekend against different opponents.
Tye will defend his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title for the first time against Australia's Izaak Michell, while Kade will lock horns with Brazil's Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight submission grappling match.
ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, April 5th.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
