Tye Ruotolo is celebrating his latest win and looking forward to the next chapter of his career. Earlier this month, the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion successfully defended his belt for the first time with an impressive victory over Australia’s Izaak Michell in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 21 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
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Ruotolo cementing his reign was impressive, but the fashion the win came in was the truly outstanding outcome of the battle. Tye Ruotolo celebrated his victory in a grand manner by calling out the MMA heavyweight Nicholas Meregali
Tye Ruotolo calls out Nicholas Meregali
Tye utilized a submission that he and his twin brother – lightweight submission grappling king Kade – designed to finish Michell, and Kade used the same method to end his own match earlier in the event.
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The “Ruotolotine,” as the American stars call it, earned Tye his fourth finish in six undefeated outings in ONE, and he has called out a familiar name when speaking about who he wants to face next.
“I mean I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but Nicholas Meregali, you know. Really, that’s the only name that I want to call out right now. He keeps running,” he told ONE in a recent interview. Ruotolo fell to Meregali at the 2022 ADCC World Championships, and it has haunted him ever since, given that loss was the last one he suffered in a no-gi competition.
Ruotolo brothers’ Dream’s a BJJ gym
Redemption is certainly on the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion’s mind when it comes to his career, but other things are keeping him motivated away from it. Together with his brother, Tye has been building his dream BJJ Gym in Costa Rica for some time now.
Undoubtedly helped by the many performance bonuses the twins have received in ONE Championship, the facility is taking quickly shape, and they are excited to welcome people to the Central American nation and help grow awareness for their sport.
“[We] Can’t wait to just be able to have a spot where people can come train and really just improve their lives – every aspect of that. Their jiu-jitsu skills and their health in general. We’re going to have a spot that’s just healing,” Ruotolo said.
