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International Brazilian jiujitsu Federation (IBJJF) world champion and ONE Championship athlete Tye Ruotolo is looking to expand out of the jiu-jitsu world and into MMA. Him and his twin brother, ONE lightweight submission grappling and ADCC world champion Kade Ruotolo, have serious plans of transitioning into full-on cagefighting.
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Many jiu-jitsu world champions have ventured into MMA through the years, albeit with varying levels of success. Fighters like Royce Gracie, Rafael Lovato Jr., Garry Tonon, and Ruotolo's own mentor, ADCC legend Andre Galvao, have transitioned into the sport. Not a lot, however, have reached world championship level.
Speaking with the South China Morning Post, Tye Ruotolo discussed how he sees MMA and how it's going to be different from submission grappling:
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"You know with the punches and everything. It's going to be a lot different I know for sure. Fighting guys in jiu-jitsu, big or small, it doesn't really matter."
The most obvious difference between competitive BJJ and MMA is the punches and strikes, something Ruotolo will have a huge learning curve to overcome. One specific difference is positional advantage and dominance. A closed guard is not as effective and dangerous when someone is punching and elbowing you from top position. Tye Ruotolo will have to get used to defending and throwing strikes on the ground, on top of learning how to box and kick on the feet.
The 20-year-old world champion had a taste of what it's like to tangle with an MMA world champion last month at ONE Fight Night 10. He faced ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder in a submission grappling bout where he won via a unanimous decision.
Though not an MMA bout, the fact that Tye Ruotolo got to see and feel the movement and grappling tactics of an MMA fighter bears some weight. While there's no word on when he will fully transition into the sport, we can be sure that the BJJ prodigy has full intentions of lacing up the 8 oz gloves in the near future.
