ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo added another feather to his cap last weekend, with an incredible feat that few could have pulled off.

In the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 21 on Friday, April 5, the American grappling star submitted Australia’s Izaak Michell to successfully defend his World Title for the first time inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Ruotolotine” win for Tye Ruotolo and Kade Ruotolo

What made the win so unique was the fact that he finished his opponent the same way his twin brother, Kade Ruotolo, had ended his own bout earlier in the evening. Kade forced Francisco Lo to tap to a modified head and arm choke from the back, which he dubbed the “Ruotolotine” during his post-fight interview.

After Tye got the same win, ONE announcer Dom Lau declared the win via “Ruotolotine” as the official ruling. During a post-fight interview, Tye revealed that it wasn’t planned, but it was a welcome coincidence that he found the opening he needed.

“You know what, that was just a big coincidence what happened tonight. I think when my brother and I are feeling our sharpness. We’re the best versions of ourselves. Maybe the same thing’s going to happen – it usually is a submission. So yeah, I was super stoked to pull that off with my brother tonight,” he said.

The twins’ respective victories netted a US$50,000 bonus each, and they now find themselves undefeated in 12 combined outings in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Ruotolo showers his gratitude towards his family

With the event done and the brothers having had time to take in everything that has transpired in their careers so far, Ruotolo is filled with gratitude. “You know, last night, my brother and I, we were in our hotel room looking over some matches, and we were just talking with each other, and we were just talking about how we’ve been so blessed our entire lives,” he said.

He further added “We had to take a second and just make sure that it doesn’t go unnoticed, you know, because sometimes, it just feels like we’re on this roller coaster, and we took a second, and we were looking at us, like man, we’re so lucky. 

At the end of the day, Ruotolo emphasized that they are blessed with a good environment around them. “We’re so blessed to have the family that we have. The people that we have around us, all the friends, all the fans. All the comments. All the support. They really, you know… there’s no other explanation other than God. So I just want to thank God, I want to thank my family, and everybody around us. We love you guys so much.”

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