Tye Ruotolo aware Reinier de Ridder is getting help from John Danaher and New Wave

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Tye Ruotolo is heading into his next match full of confidence, but he also knows he has a very formidable opponent in front of him.

Tye Ruotolo will face former ONE light heavyweight world champion and reigning middleweight MMA king ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder in a middleweight submission grappling match in less than two weeks’ time.

The 20-year-old Atos representative called out De Ridder last year, and now the fight has been made. De Ridder, for his part, has made an effort to spend time to focus on pure grappling, having traveled to the United States recently to train with renowned BJJ coach John Danaher at his New Wave facility.

Speaking to YouTube channel The MMA Superfan, Ruotolo acknowledged that De Ridder made a smart move by training jiu-jitsu with some absolute killers.

Ruotolo said:

“I know he’s got the jiu-jitsu game down. He’s over there training with Gordon Ryan and those guys over at New Wave and [John] Danaher. I know they’re gonna try to show him some good stuff to try and take me down. I’m really excited to fight him.”

De Ridder has not only worked with Danaher, but also Gordon Ryan, widely considered to be one of the top pound-for-pound grapplers in the world. Other big names at New Wave include Giancarlo Bidoni and Nicholas Meregali, both of whom De Ridder says he’s gotten a few rounds with.

How much De Ridder’s training at New Wave will benefit him against Ruotolo remains to be seen.

Tye Ruotolo and ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder do battle at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado on Friday, May 5th, and will stream for free to fans in the United States and Canada via Amazon Prime.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for all the updates on ONE Fight Night 10 as we deliver news straight from Colorado.