Reinier de Ridder says size difference with Tye Ruotolo likely won’t be too great

'The Dutch Knight' Reinier de Ridder will be having a submission grappling match against Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Tye Ruotolo later this year. The two grappling specialists are booked for a showdown on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video.

Coming into the match, the former two-division world champion will have a size advantage over his American opponent. However, de Ridder believes it won't be as visible as some pundits are projecting.

Speaking in an interview with Tom Taylor of the South China Morning Post, 'The Dutch Knight' explained:

"I think it will be a big part of it, but I don’t think the difference will be that big because he’s most likely gaining some weight. I have to be 93 [kilos] so I can’t gain too much. So I don’t think he’ll be that much smaller."

See the full interview below:

The submission grappling showdown will be part of ONE's first on-site event in the United States and will be hosted at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be headlined by a world title showdown between ONE flyweight world champion 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson and 'Mikinho' Adriano Moraes.

All the action on the card will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers across North America.

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Reinier de Ridder on grappling against Tye Ruotolo

Tye Ruotolo is a prodigy of submission grappling. At the age of just 20, he has competed against some of the biggest names in the sport and in the most prestigious tournaments. Shockingly, he only needed 97 seconds to submit Garry Tonon.

'The Dutch Knight' Reinier de Ridder, meanwhile, is the current ONE middleweight world titleholder in MMA and appreciates the chances to compete against Tye Ruotolo.

While speaking in an interview with ONE Championship, Reinier de Ridder said:

“It’s very cool that I got a shot at this. I got to grapple Andre Galvao, and I get to grapple Tye Ruotolo, who’s one of the hottest prospects right now in grappling. I’m not even a grappler. I’m an MMA fighter, so it’s very cool that I get this opportunity.”