Tye and Kade Ruotolo share throwback video of the grappling phenoms on the way to their first BJJ tournament

Tye and Kade Ruotolo have provided a throwback video from before their first Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament.

Before they became BJJ superstars, the Ruotolo brothers were innocent kids who fell in love with an uncommon sport. Most kids played football, soccer, or baseball, but Tye and Kade snatched necks and broke arms at a young age.

The brothers share an Instagram account and posted the throwback video with the caption:

“New Years Throwback On our way to our first tournament discussing how we are going to win 🥋”

In the video, Tye and Kade glow with childlike innocence as they describe their game plans, including references to takedowns, choking, guard, and sweeping the legs. It’s unclear what age the Ruotolo brothers were, but Kade has discussed that he began training at the age of three, which makes sense considering they were in car seats.

Over a decade later, Tye and Kade evolved into BJJ phenoms at the age of 19. The brothers are currently signed to ONE Championship, holding undefeated records. Going into 2023, it’ll be intriguing to see if they can continue their submission grappling dominance.

Watch Tye and Kade Ruotolo's throwback video below:

---

Tye and Kade Ruotolo win submission grappling yearly awards for ONE Championship

Kade Ruotolo couldn’t have had more success in 2022. He started the calendar year by defeating MMA legend Shinya Aoki in his ONE Championship debut. Four months later, the 19-year-old made history by becoming the youngest champion in ADCC history, submitting all four of his opponents along the way.

After becoming an ADCC champion, Kade returned to the circle for more gold. He submitted Uali Kurzhev with a heel hook to become the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion and won a $50,000 bonus. The Hawaii native ended the year by defending his belt against IBJJF world champion Matheus Gabriel.

His efforts in the circle led to him being named ONE Championship’s 2022 Submission Grappling Athlete of the Year.

Meanwhile, Tye had a memorable year of his own. He made his ONE debut in May by defeating BJJ superstar Garry Tonon in 97 seconds, which won the 2022 ONE Submission Grappling Submission of the Year.

The short-haired Ruotolo brother also appeared at ADCC, claiming bronze in the absolute division. He competed one more time in the circle, securing a win against former ONE featherweight world champion Marat Gafurov by wrist lock. Tye also won $50,000 bonuses for his ONE Championship wins.