Tye Ruotolo says Colorado elevation could be a real issue

American Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt world champion Tye Ruotolo is taking on his toughest test in ONE Championship yet. But it’s not just his esteemed opponent that he is worried about.

The 20-year-old California native will have to battle the elements as he heads to the high altitudes of Denver, Colorado for his next matchup against Reinier de Ridder.

Speaking to The MMA Superfan in a recent interview, Ruotolo talked about his experience dealing with high elevation. The grappling phenom stated:

“I’ve never fought in elevation. I’ve been to Colorado once before and I remember just walking down the street and I was out of breath. I went to go drill and I couldn’t even do a couple of leg drags without needing a break. I was really really shocked.”

Catch the full interview below:

Tye Ruotolo will lock horns with former ONE light heavyweight world champion and reigning ONE middleweight king ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder in a highly anticipated middleweight submission grappling contest at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video.

The sold-out event broadcasts live from 1stBank Center on Friday, May 5, and will stream absolutely free to fans in the United States and Canada with an active Amazon Prime subscription.

It’s hard enough having to deal with a mammoth grappling savant like De Ridder, but doing so with less oxygen in the lungs is going to be a real challenge.

With that, Ruotolo said he and his twin brother Kade, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, will head to Colorado early to acclimate to the conditions.

He added:

“I’m definitely getting myself a good cushion before the fight so I can adapt.”