Tye Ruotolo picked up a unanimous decision win in his highly anticipated submission grappling showdown with Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Night 23 on Jul. 5.
But the Atos BJJ representative wasn’t thrilled with his performance.
The 186-pound catchweight contest was a battle for the full 10 minutes, but Ruotolo scored a takedown and was aggressive from top position until the final bell. Though happy with the win, the welterweight submission grappling king wanted the finish the teenage phenom.
“I could have performed a lot better. It’s not a performance that I’m very proud of. I didn’t have the best camp, and I didn’t feel the best way going through the fight. It’s the fact that I won even on my worst day – it makes me happy,” Ruotolo said after ONE Fight Night 23.
“But that’s not a performance that I like to have, especially in a place like Lumpinee. I have so much respect for the people in the audience and the stadium, so I always do my best to give a good show.”
After what is likely to be the first of many meetings between the two elite grapplers, Ruotolo was complimentary of his opponent’s skills.
He was even a little surprised at how Chen was able to match up to him physically.
“You know, he looks like a nerd online, to be honest with you. But he’s a little bit stronger in person. But yeah, all respect to Jozef. He’s such a good representative of jiu-jitsu. [He has] really amazing technique, and [he’s] a really good kid. I’m really grateful to have the match with him,” Ruotolo remarked.
While the American doesn’t like giving excuses for how he performs, he did detail that he was battling an illness throughout most of his camp ahead of ONE Fight Night 23. Still, he was able to compete at a high level and push his promotional record to a perfect 7-0 with another win.
The hard-fought win was a lesson in overcoming obstacles and leaving everything inside the ring.
“Just within my camp, I was sick for most of it. And even before the fight, I really was feeling a bit off. I’ve been going through a couple little neck things. It has kind of been affecting a little bit of my nerve, the vagus nerve,” Ruotolo said.
“I really wasn’t feeling great going into the match, but even on all my worst days, I just gotta man up and get it done, and that’s what I did. I’m stoked to get it done, and in my next performance, I will be better. I’m going to go home and get in front of everything that would prevent me from having a great performance in my next one. I’ll perform how I’m supposed to.”
The California superstar recently got to see his brother, ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade, debut in MMA. After witnessing him pick up a win against Blake Cooper at ONE 167 last month, the fires appear to have been lit for his own venture into the sport.
However, Ruotolo’s enduring legacy in grappling is still most important, and he made it clear that he has unfinished business in his bread-and-butter before he considers a switch.
“I can’t wait to do MMA, you know, I’m so excited to go. I’ve been watching my brother’s last fight, it got me so fired up. It was so rad to see him,” he stated.
We always grew up watching MMA fights, and we always knew that we wanted to be MMA fighters one day, too, not just [become] fighters, but the best. So I’m happy to get this win in jiu-jitsu. One more for the legacy. My legacy is not done. I want to be the best in the world of jiu-jitsu. No questions, no matter what. I know I’m on my way.”
As 2024 trundles on, the Atos representative has many options. Though submission grappling will continue to be his priority for now, fans could see him grace ONE Championship’s MMA ranks sooner rather than later.
“I think right now, we’re probably considered the best, my brother and I, for sure. But I want to be pound-for-pound, the best in the world. So I’m not going to stop until I get to that. But an MMA fight, that’s such a big thing for me, so I’m excited to be a part of the race there too,” Ruotolo said.