Tye Ruotolo on decision to set up base in Costa Rica: “It’s one of the best places”

American submission grappling ace Tye Ruotolo has been captivated by the country of Costa Rica so much that it will soon serve as his base to train for his scheduled matches.

Along with his twin brother Kade, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, Ruotolo has built a training facility in Marbella, Guanacaste. The location, which is home to exotic beaches, will serve as their training spot when they are in Costa Rica, as well as their home as they partake in their other outdoor passions, including surfing.

The gym, which is greatly funded by the performance bonuses that they have earned in ONE, is now in the final stages of construction and Tye Ruotolo is excited to finally use it in its completed state.

In an interview with onefc.com, the 20-year-old Atos standout shared the reason why he has gravitated towards Costa Rica, saying:

“When I’m over there, all I want to do is the things that I love with the people that I love. I think that’s why we’ve always gravitated to that place.”

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt continued:

“It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been to on Earth. It’s a blue zone. There’s blue zones all over the world with people that you see living over 100 years old.”

Apart from a place where they can train, Tye Ruotolo said their gym is also geared towards running camps for young BJJ athletes.

As he awaits the completion of their passion project, Ruotolo will be plunging back into action on November 3 at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video in Bangkok. He will vie for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title against promotion-debuting Magomed Abdulkadirov of Russia.

Heading into the marquee showdown, Tye Ruotolo will be building on his four victories to date under ONE. His most recent win came just this past August, where he topped Turkish opponent Dagi Arslanaliev by submission (rear-naked choke).

Magomed Abdulkadirov, for his part, will be banking on his experience competing in the European wrestling and grappling circuit.

ONE Fight Night 16 will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live in US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.