Tye Ruotolo thrilled to reignite old BJJ rivalry with former Craig Jones protege Izaak Michell

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo is set to defend his belt against his toughest opponent in ONE Championship yet: Aussie rising star Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21 this weekend.

Izaak Michell has steadily risen in the Jiu-jitsu ranks ever since winning the Match of the Tournament award alongside Vagner Rocha at the 2022 ADCC World Championships. Since then, he's been making headlines in both local and international grappling circuits.

A product of Craig Jones' revered grappling stable, The B-Team, Michell poses an opportunity for Tye Ruotolo to revisit his rivalry with the Australian grappling team.

He told the South China Morning Post on YouTube:

"That being said, you know, he’s another one who came from Craig Jones and all those guys so I’m excited to pull up for the team."

Watch the full interview here:

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Tye Ruotolo finds Izaak Michell's grappling style 'intriguing'

Much like his twin brother and fellow ONE world champion Kade Ruotolo, Tye Ruotolo is one of the most feared grapplers today due to his aggressive grappling style. The 21-year-old world champion employs a frightening pace while constantly hunting for submissions, making it nearly impossible to deal with his offense.

Interestingly, the world champion sees similarities between him and his challenger Michell, telling the South China Morning Post:

“He [Michell] is, for sure. His style of jiu-jitsu intrigues me. Number one, I know he likes to fight hard and he’s very aggressive, you know, which is good because I like when people are aggressive towards me. It definitely brings a bigger and deeper beast out of me.”

In a battle of aggressive gunslingers, it's who draws first wins the battle. Whoever imposes their offense early in this contest will likely get the upper hand.

ONE Fight Night 21 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.