Tye Ruotolo recalls moment he received black belt from Andre Galvao: “I didn’t think it would hold that much weight”

Reigning and undisputed ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo of the United States recalls the moment legendary jiu-jitsu practitioner and Atos founder Andre Galvao awarded him his black belt.

Tye, alongside his twin brother Kade, the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, became jiu-jitsu black belts at 18, and have since been on an absolute tear in the jiu-jitsu world, winning world titles and stacking accolades left and right.

Speaking to FloGrappling in a recent interview, Tye Ruotolo described how shocked he was when Galvao game him the black belt.

The 21-year-old BJJ phenom said:

"When I had the black belt, I didn’t think it would hold that much weight until it got strapped around my waist when Andre put it on. And I was like, ‘Whoa. I’m a black belt.’"

Today, Tye and Kade Ruotolo are two of the best grapplers in the world, and they ply their trade in the world's largest martial arts organization in ONE Championship.

Tye is set to corner his twin brother Kade early next month for the latter's next world title defense. He's also looking to follow in Kade's footsteps later this year and transition to mixed martial arts.

---

Tye Ruotolo, Kade Ruotolo head to Denver, Colorado for ONE 168 for world title defense

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is set to defend his golden belt against flyweight submission grappling king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci.

The two lock horns at ONE 168: Denver, in ONE Championship's highly anticipated return to U.S. soil.

The event broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE 168: Denver as it happens.