Tye Ruotolo says jiu-jitsu adapting to incorporate wrestling: “You got to evolve”

American submission grappling phenom Tye Ruotolo knows that in order to stay at the top of the food chain in jiu-jitsu, one has to be constantly evolving.

The 20-year-old phenom, along with his twin brother Kade, the reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, are two of the biggest innovators in the game. The Ruotolos are known for their frantic, scrambling style in grappling, which often produces incredible submissions.

One of the biggest reasons the Ruotolos are so good at what they do is because they know how important all facets of the grappling game truly are, most especially wrestling. Traditionally, jiu-jitsu players don’t typically have solid wrestling skills, but Ruotolo says it’s very important, especially in this age of the sport.

Speaking to YouTube channel, The MMA Superfan, Ruotolo talked about the importance of wrestling in jiu-jitsu, and how all players should adapt their styles.

The 20-year-old said:

“You see a lot of our opponents that were really just solely leg lockers, like Nicky Ryan, a lot of the guys that we fought are now adapting and doing the same. They're all becoming very talented wrestlers. And that's just the way jiu-jitsu works. You got to evolve.”

See the interview below:

Ruotolo will get the chance to prove his wrestling is up to standard when he takes on a very dangerous Dagestani wrestler in his next match, which will be for ONE Championship gold.

Tye Ruotolo is set to face Magomed Abdulkadirov in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video, which will be broadcast live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, November 3.

The bout will be for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.