Tye Ruotolo on ‘tough and durable’ Dagi Arslanaliev: “I know he’s got a lot of heart”

American grappling ace Tye Ruotolo returns to ONE Championship action this weekend and expects to engage in a total battle.

The 20-year-old Atos standout will go up against Dagi Arslanaliev of Turkey in a catchweight (180 lbs) submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video on August 4 in Bangkok.

The fight is a late addition to the event happening at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and is available live and for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Tye Ruotolo said considering what Dagi Arslanaliev will be bringing to their fight, he should expect end-to-end action and must be ready for it.

The jiu-jitsu black belt said:

“I've seen he's a really good wrestler. Dagestan, you know, they're all good over there. He's for sure going to be tough and durable and I know he's got a lot of heart, you know. I can tell he's going to be tough, and I'm excited. That's my favorite type of fight, you know, just to have a war. And anytime my opponent comes at me is when I shine and do my best. So as long as he's not on the cage pushing, we should have a good match."

Check out the interview below:

Tye Ruotolo will be fighting three months since his last outing in May in the United States, where he defeated ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder by unanimous decision in their submission grappling superfight.

At ONE Fight Night 13, Tye Ruotolo is looking to make it four straight wins in as many fights under ONE Championship and keep his lofty standing in the sport within the promotion.

For his part, while he has been competing in mixed martial arts in ONE, Dagi Arslanaliev boasts of a sound jiu-jitsu skill set that has seen him earn podium finishes in tournaments in Europe.

The 28-year-old warrior is returning to ONE action since last fighting in December 2021 where he knocked out Russian Timofey Nastyukhin in the third round of their lightweight MMA clash.