Izaak Michell wants to make a statement in his promotional debut, but he understands the level of talent he will be up against. On Friday, April 5, the Australian grappler will face Tye Ruotolo for the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title.

All of it in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs Nicolas on Prime Video inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He has a scary fighter up against him but there is always a strategy that can work its way out.

Izaak Michell and Tye Ruotolo

Ruotolo is undefeated through five fights in ONE, submitting three of his opponents in the process. Outside of the world’s largest martial arts organization, he has also claimed multiple accolades that helped put him among the top pound-for-pound athletes of the sport today.

Michell is certainly aware of his opponent’s prowess, and he shared in an interview with ONE why the American grappling prodigy is a tough matchup for just about anyone he goes up against.

“What he does well is he’s very aggressive, but at the same time, he can change his intensity and be smooth, and he’s not afraid to do anything that comes up. So, he might not know or specialize in this move, but he’s willing to do it when it counts in the big competition,” he said.

“Basically, he throws the kitchen sink at you, and if you’re not prepared to deal with that, then a lot of people get caught, and then it’s just too much. It’s an overwhelming amount of offense coming at them at once.” Ruotolo is a generational talent who captured the attention of the grappling world since he and his twin brother, Kade, started their careers as kids.

Michell has been watching closely

Of course, Michell has also been able to follow their careers, and doesn’t hide his admiration for what they have accomplished thus far. With such a huge opportunity in front of him, he is looking forward to prepare and eventually execute a winning game plan against such a prolific figure in the sport.

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“I’ve been watching a lot of Tye’s matches and studying him, and I’m very impressed with him as a grappler. He has been doing this for his whole life since he was a kid, so it really shows just in his body movements and everything,” he said. “So yeah, I’ve been game-planning for this match, and I’m really excited to unfold that.”

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