WATCH: Izaak Michell polishes his ‘Uchi Mata’ in preparation for world title fight vs Tye Ruotolo

Australian submission grappling powerhouse Izaak Michell is bound for his first shot at world championship gold as he faces Tye Ruotolo for the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title at ONE 166: Qatar.

On March 1st, inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar, the Middle East, the two grappling phenoms will take part in one of five world title bouts on the historic fight card.

In preparation for his massive bout with Tye Ruotolo, Izaak Michell was seen practicing his "Uchi Mata" in the gym. ONE posted a video of his training with the caption:

"Name the move 😳 Can Izaak Michell claim the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship from reigning king Tye Ruotolo on March 1 at ONE 166: Qatar? 🏆 @izaakmichellbjj @mediacityqa @visitqatar"

For the uninitiated, the "Uchi Mata" is a powerful Judo throw that's been utilized by some of the greatest MMA and submission grappling world champions in history. It's a highly effective repellant against wrestling-based grapplers like Tye Rutolo. We're eager to see how Michell uses it against the ultra-dynamic world champion.

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Tye Ruotolo has had his sights set on Izaak Michell way before winning ONE Championship gold

As it turned out, Tye Ruotolo has been keeping an eye on his upcoming world title challenger for some time now. As early as August 2023, before fighting for and eventually winning the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title, the young Ruotolo proposed that he face Michell for the strap.

He told South China Morning Post:

“Yeah absolutely. I think there’s a lot of opportunity at the 185-lb division. There are a lot of great grapplers and I wanna prove myself against all of them. I wanna prove myself as the best so Izaak Michell, Pedro Marinho, all the guys at 185, whoever wants to go, let’s go. I wanna run through all you guys.”

Ruotolo ended up facing Magomed Abdulkadirov at ONE Fight Night 15 last year for his division's inaugural world title. Now that he has the gold firmly on his shoulder, it's time he faces the man he initially wanted to face on top of the mountain.

ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.