Tye Ruotolo praises opponent Magomed Abdulkadirov for beating elite competition like Mica Galvao: “He's a dog”

Tye Ruotolo voices his respect for his upcoming opponent, Magomed Abdulkadirov, who holds a win against Mica Galvao.

On Friday, November 3, Ruotolo looks to advance his ONE Championship promotional submission grappling record to 5-0. There will be added stakes for the 20-year-old, as a win against Abdulkadirov at ONE Fight Night 16 would make him the inaugural welterweight submission grappling world champion.

Abdulkadirov will be making his promotional debut, but he shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone. In December 2019, the Russian secured a rear-naked choke submission win against rising superstar Mica Galvao at a Copa Podio event.

During a recent interview with ONE, Tye Ruotolo praised Abdulkadirov by referencing his impressive win against Galvao:

“He's a tough guy. He's a dog. He's for sure a tough opponent. I think a lot of people in the jiu-jitsu community aren't familiar with him, you know because he hasn't been showing up too much as of recent, but I know that he's very capable. He has big wins over super notable guys like Mica Galvao.”

Tye Ruotolo’s ONE Championship tenure has been successful thus far with multiple $50,000 performance bonuses coming from his four wins - Garry Tonon (d’arce choke), Marat Gafurov (wrist lock), Reinier de Ridder (unanimous decision), and Dagi Arslanaliev (rear-naked choke).

As for Magomed Abdulkadirov, he might not get the recognition that Ruotolo has, but he does pose a threat to the 20-year-old’s undefeated promotional record.

Abdulkadirov is a stereotypical Dagestani grappler who has the strength and aggression to give any opponent problems. He’s also a BJJ black belt with wins in some of the most prestigious tournaments in the grappling circuit.

The question is, can the Russian’s style force Tye Ruotolo to make enough mistakes for an upset win at ONE Fight Night 16? Only time will tell.

ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video will air live from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.