Welterweight submission grappling king Tye Ruotolo “a million percent” ready to make the jump to MMA in 2024

Tye Ruotolo is making the most of his fighting career at ONE Championship.

The 20-year-old became the inaugural ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion when he beat Dagestani grappler Magomed Abdulkadirov for the strap at ONE Fight Night 16 this past weekend.

Following his world title victory at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Ruotolo proclaimed that he would start a concurrent career in mixed martial arts in 2024.

In his post-fight press conference, Ruotolo said:

“A million percent. You know, I feel like I got a big, unchecked box right here on my bucket list.”

Ruotolo is the youngest IBBJF world champion in the competition’s history, and his capture of the ONE welterweight submission grappling world title in Bangkok furthered his reputation as one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists of this generation.

His arrival at ONE Championship, however, broadened Ruotolo’s horizon and potentially raised his fighting potential even higher. The American star was now exposed to the top mixed martial artists, Muay Thai artists, and kickboxers on the planet.

That exposure to some of the world’s greatest talents ignited a desire for Ruotolo and his twin brother, Kade, to start another career at MMA.

Kade, the inaugural and reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, was the first of the brothers to publicly announce his wish to carve out an MMA career.

Tye, nevertheless, followed suit, and the 6-foot grappler has been developing his striking at Superbon Training Camp in Bangkok with former ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn and famed coach Trainer Gae.

There are no official announcements yet of the brothers’ potential MMA debut, but the two will have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to potential opponents.

Watch Tye Ruotolo's entire interview below: