“That’s what I wanted to do” - Tye Ruotolo says he had tunnel vision in trying to get his black belt

Reigning and undisputed ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo of the United States is one of the youngest black belts in the history of jiu-jitsu.

Receiving the honor from his mentor Andre Galvao at the age of 18, Ruotolo has had an incredible career so far as one of the sport's pound-for-pound best.

Speaking to FloGrappling in a recent interview, Ruotolo recalled how much he wanted to get his black belt when he was young, and how that feeling changed over time.

The 21-year-old phenom said:

"Growing up, the black belt held so much weight to me cause all the guys I wanted to be all had one. That’s what I wanted to do. But then, when I got the blue, the purple, and so on, the more I got the belts the less I really wanted the black. But I think that was because I was fighting black belts in the competition and beating them. And I’m like, ‘I’m not a brown belt, you know?’"

Today, Ruotolo is one of the most decorated grapplers in the world. And alongside his twin brother Kade Ruotolo, the ONE lightweight submission grappling king, the two are carving out their legend in the world's largest martial arts organization.

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Tye Ruotolo will corner brother Kade Ruotolo in next world title defense at ONE 168: Denver

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is set to defend his ONE Championship gold against flyweight titleholder 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci.

The two go to war at ONE 168: Denver, in ONE Championship's highly anticipated return to U.S. soil.

The event broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Friday, September 6th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.