Tye Ruotolo plans to wait a “little bit longer” before making the transition to MMA

It’s no secret that the Ruotolo twins have set their eyes on a potential move to mixed martial arts.

Kade, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, plans to enter the multi-faceted sport by the end of 2023, while his twin brother Tye would rather wait for a little more.

Tye is the youngest-ever IBJJF world champion but has yet to capture ONE Championship gold, unlike his brother.

Nevertheless, Tye Ruotolo is on an unstoppable rampage and recently submitted lightweight MMA contender Dagi Arslanaliev at ONE Fight Night 13 this past week at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

During his post-fight interview, Tye said he’s certain that his brother is going to don the four-ounce gloves before the year ends. He then added that he’ll stay a bit longer in the submission grappling scene and focus on his natural discipline:

“So for sure [Kade's] gonna do it this year and for myself, I’m gonna wait a little bit longer.”

Although Tye didn’t say why he’d rather wait his turn at MMA, there is a more concrete reason why the six-foot Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt would stay in submission grappling.

Tye earned his shot at the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title after he dominated and submitted Arslanaliev in their matchup.

There are no official announcements yet regarding who Tye will face for the belt, but he’s already called out Izaak Michell and Pedro Marinho as potential opponents.

If Tye captures the inaugural world title, then he and Kade will be the second set of siblings to reign as simultaneous world champions in ONE Championship.

The first pair of siblings to achieve the feat are ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee and her younger brother Christian, the ONE lightweight and welterweight world champion.

Watch Tye's entire interview below: