ONE Fight Night 16 results: Tye Ruotolo powers his way to the ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship

Another moment of history unfolded inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 16 as American BJJ standout Tye Ruotolo edged Magomed Abdulkadirov on the scorecards to become the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion.

The match opened up with a feel-out action, as both grappling superstars tried to wade into close quarters with a more calculative approach. Two minutes in, the Atos representative made an explosive attack looking for a double-leg takedown.

Though he failed in his first attempt, the 20-year-old switched things up and jumped into guard from the feet at the 2:25 mark of the tie. Tye Ruotolo didn’t waste any precious seconds and zeroed in for the first submission attempt of the single-round tie.

Four minutes in, one-half of the famous Ruotolo brothers attacked the legs, but Abdulkadirov escaped. After breaking out of trouble, the 32-year-old Russian found his back against the mat after Tye Ruotoloreversed their position.

After failing to get a submission on the full mount, the 20-year-old BJJ phenom transitioned into and attempted a guillotine choke with three minutes remaining in the match but defended very well.

The young superstar secured his crowning glory in the dying seconds of the world title showdown as he attempted another submission attempt via the armbar. However, once more, Abdulkadirov survived and blocked out any real threat.

Official result: Tye Ruotolo defeats Magomed Abdulkadirov via unanimous decision

Despite not securing his most sought-after submission victory against the veteran, Tye still displayed an outstanding performance that earned him an additional $50,000 bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Additionally, he wants to be an active champion and calls out any contender who wants to challenge him for his newly acquired 26-pound golden belt.

With the win, Tye Ruotolo completes the golden twin triumph with his brother, Kade, and improves his ONE Championship record to 5-0, with three of his wins being submissions.