Tag: Tye Ruotolo

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo shine on Day 1 of inaugural CJI tournament – Craig Jones Invitational Highlights

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo shine on Day 1 of inaugural CJI tournament - Craig Jones Invitational HighlightsDay 1 of the Craig Jones Invitational delivered some exciting finishes and a few shocking upsets as the festivities…

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo shine on Day 1 of inaugural CJI tournament - Craig Jones Invitational Highlights

Day 1 of the Craig Jones Invitational delivered some exciting finishes and a few shocking upsets as the festivities officially kicked off in Las Vegas.

Nicky Rod was undoubtedly the star of the show, scoring a pair of rear-naked chokes against Max Gimenis and Owen Livesey to punch his ticket to the semi-finals of the Over 80kg bracket. Rod will face Adam Bradley on Day 2 after Bradley earned split decisions against Kyle Boehm and Bellator prospect Pat Downey.

Joining Rod and Bradley on the other side of the semi-final bracket are Inacio Santos and Fellipe Andrew, who worked their way to the penultimate round with a series of hard-fought victories.

Perhaps the biggest shocker came in the Under 80kg quarterfinal when reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo suffered a decision loss against Levi Jones-Leary. Ruotolo got his tournament off to a great start, tapping out decorated wrestler Jason Nolf with a kneebar in the third round.

Facing Jones-Leary nearly five hours into the show, Ruotolo struggled with his guard while Jones-Leary fished for a heel hook throughout the match. In the end, Jones-Leary’s aggressiveness was enough to snatch a unanimous decision win, depriving us of the opportunity to see Tye Ruotolo square off with his twin brother and fellow ONE world champion, Kade Ruotolo.

ONE World Champion Kade Ruotolo fights his way to craig jones invitational under 80kg semifinal

Kade Ruotolo was able to get the job done on the other side of the bracket, locking in a nasty straight ankle lock with mere seconds left in the opening round against ADCC gold medalist Matheus Diniz.

Ruotolo went on to dominate Tommy Langaker in his quarterfinal match, earning a unanimous decision against the Norwegian BJJ star. In the last 14 months, Ruotolo has bagged three wins against Langaker with two of them coming under the ONE Championship banner.

Kade Ruotolo will meet Andrew Tackett in the semifinal contest after the young American bested Nicky Ryan and Eoghan O’Flanagan via decision.

Check out all the action from Day 1 of the CJI, including full results and the updated brackets for Day 2 below:

Over 80kg first round Results:

  • Nicky Rod def. Max Gimenis via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:45 of Round 2.
  • Owen Livesey def. Mahamed Aly via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Adam Bradley def. Kyle Boehm via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Pat Downey def. Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-26)
  • Lucas Kanard def. Victor Hugo via submission (heel hook) at 1:10 of Round 1
  • Inacio Santos def. Pedro Alex via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Fellipe Andrew def. Daniel Kerkvliet via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Joao Gabriel Rocha def. William Tackett via unanimous decision

Over 80kg quarterfinal Results:

  • Nicky Rod def. Owen Livesey via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:41 of Round 1.
  • Adam Bradley def. Pat Downey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Inacio Santos def. Lucas Kanard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Fellipe Andrew def. Joao Gabriel Rocha via unanimous decision
Craig Jones

Under 80kg first round Results:

  • Tye Ruotolo def. Jason Nolf via submission (kneebar) at 4:16 of Round 3
  • Levi Jones-Leary def. Roberto Jimenez via submission (inside heel hook) at 1:53 of Round 1
  • Lucas Barbosa def. Kenta Iwamoto via unanimous decision
  • Jozef Chen def. Andy Varela via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
  • Kade Ruotolo def. Matheus Diniz via submission (straight ankle lock) at 4:43 of Round 1
  • Tommy Langaker def. Renato Canuto via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Eoghan O’Flanagan def. Magid Hage via submission (outside heel hook) at 1:41 of Round 2
  • Andrew Tackett def. Nicky Ryan via unanimous decision (30-24, 30-24, 30-25)

Under 80kg quarterfinal Results:

  • Levi Jones-Leary def. Tye Ruotolo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Lucas Barbosa def. Jozef Chen via submission (knee crush) at 3:34 of Round 3
  • Kade Ruotolo def. Tommy Langaker via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
  • Andrew Tackett def. Eoghan O’Flanagan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Craig Jones

Tye Ruotolo taps out Aussie standout Izaak Michell to retain his welterweight title – ONE Fight Night 21 Highlights

Tye RuotoloFive months removed from his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title-winning performance against Magomed Abdulkadirov, Tye Ruotolo returned to…

Tye Ruotolo

Five months removed from his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title-winning performance against Magomed Abdulkadirov, Tye Ruotolo returned to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium set to defend his crown for the very first time.

Standing in his way of a sixth straight victory was Aussie newcomer and the No. 2 ranked 185-pound grappler per FloGrappling.com, Izaak Michell.

Ruotolo attempted to shoot in for a takedown right out of the gate, but Michell was able to use his strength and stuff the attempt with ease. Michell dropped down for his own takedown attempt, but Ruotolo aggressively sprawled before getting back to his feet and separating. Jockeying for position, Ruotolo exploded, forcing Michell to back up on defense, allowing the 21-year-old star to bring him down and immediately move into mount.

Attempting to defend, Michell gave up his back, allowing Ruotolo to cinch his arm under the chin and lock in a rear naked choke. Unable to break free, Michell had no choice, but to tap out seconds before the halfway point of the 10-round match.

Official Result: Tye Ruotolo def. Izaak Michell via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:43.

Tye Ruotolo

Check out highlights from Tye Ruotolo vs. Izaak Michell at oNE Fight Night 21:

Tye Ruotolo

Tye Ruotolo Wants To Fight Garry Tonon In MMA After BJJ Win: “I Think My Hands Are Better Too”

Tye RuotoloBJJ prodigy Tye Ruotolo has his eyes set on competing in the sport of mixed martial arts next. Making his submission grappling debut in ONE Championship, Tye Ruotolo managed to tap out the legendary Garry Tonon at ONE Championship 157. In just two minutes of the contest, Ruotolo displayed an exhibition of superior movement before […]

Tye Ruotolo

BJJ prodigy Tye Ruotolo has his eyes set on competing in the sport of mixed martial arts next.

Making his submission grappling debut in ONE Championship, Tye Ruotolo managed to tap out the legendary Garry Tonon at ONE Championship 157. In just two minutes of the contest, Ruotolo displayed an exhibition of superior movement before locking in a D’Arce choke to announce his presence in the promotion.

Tye Ruotolo steals the show

During a post-fight interview, Ruotolo spoke to the press about his plans for the future and touched on the idea of competing in MMA.

“My goal in jiu-jitsu right now is to just keep being the best version of myself, and to get to the title in jiu-jitsu and to the title in MMA is what my brother and I want to do as well. So we’ve got a lot of goals right now,” Ruotolo said.

“I just finished that match, so I really don’t know who I want next in jiu-jitsu. Maybe an MMA debut. My brother and I are really scratching for that. I’m really down to fight anybody in the world. Big, small, I’m ready to go.” (h/t SCMP)

Hinting at returning to competition in MMA instead of BJJ, Tye Ruotolo expanded on the possibility.

“Garry Tonon would be fun for the fans for sure. He’s 6-1 in MMA. He just came off a title fight, and I don’t know if Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE CEO] would let me debut [against] Garry Tonon. I had dinner with him the other night, I think he kind of seemed interested in the idea.

“That would be really cool. After my performance tonight I kind of deserve it. In jiu-jitsu I proved I’m better than him, in the most humble way possible, and I think that my hands are better than his too, just being realistic. So I’d love to fight him in MMA.”

Along with Tye, his twin brother Kade Ruotolo also made his debut in the promotion on the same night. Kade dominated his way against the Japanese veteran Shinya Aoki to grab a decision win.

If the twins’ BJJ abilities are any indication, they may be looking at a flourishing MMA career ahead. A lot depends on how ONE CEO Sityodtong plans to carry them in the organization and will likely give them a shot in MMA if an agreement is reached.

How do you think the Ruotolo brothers would fare in MMA?