IBJJF world champion and ONE grappling phenom Tye Ruotolo is bound for his first world title fight in ONE Championship at ONE Fight Night 16 on November 3. Across the circle from him will be promotional newcomer Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title.
In his most recent performance in the promotion, Tye Ruotolo vowed to make up for his less-than-perfect showing at ONE Fight Night 10 last May. At ONE Fight Night 13 last August, Ruotolo produced an awe-inspiring performance against Dagi Arslanaliev by making him tap out not once, but twice in one bout.
ONE posted a video highlight of the bout.
"He tapped TWICE 😶 Can Tye Ruotolo secure another submission victory against Magomed Abdulkadirov on November 3 at ONE Fight Night 16 on @primevideo? 💯 @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu"
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Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium was treated to an exciting catchweight submission grappling fight (180 lbs) between the young BJJ phenom and the Turkish MMA icon. After putting Dagi on the defensive the entire bout, Ruotolo caught him with a heel hook, and then a tight rear-naked choke.
The bizarre sequence of events transpired as follows.
Tye Ruotolo caught Dagi with a tight heel hook which appeared to have made him tap. The referee didn't seem to have seen the submission finish and insisted that the fight continue. After the brief confusion, Ruotolo immediately jumped on his opponent's back and secured the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
People online have debated on whether or not the Turkish MMA fighter truly tapped the first time. Dagi himself settled the argument when he commented on another post by ONE Championship and said:
"Guys everything is good. I respect the kid , he won , I tapped from the heel hook, don’t know why ref didn’t stop the match. Please don’t fight in comments 😉"
Catch Tye Ruotolo square off against Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world title at ONE Fight Night 16, which goes down at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. The event will be available live and fofree to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.