Tye Ruotolo Puts MMA Transition On Hold To Gun For Big Grappling Matches

After establishing a foothold in the submission grappling world alongside his twin brother Kade Ruotolo, Tye Ruotolo has his sights set on conquering the multi-faceted sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

But before he finally straps on a pair of four-ounce gloves, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu representative wants to make sure that he does not leave any unfinished business behind.

The 20-year-old American phenom made it publicly known following his unanimous decision victory over ONE middleweight champion Reinier de Ridder in a 10-minute, all-grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 10 last May 5.

"I still got a lot of couple goals. I will make sure they all happen. From there, I'll go to MMA," Ruotolo told reporters during the post-event press conference.

Occupying the upper portion of Ruotolo's to-do list is sharing the mats with top-tier competitors in submission grappling—Gordon Ryan and Nicholas Meregali.

"I'm going to make my transition next year. I want to beat some guys in jiu-jitsu, Meregali and Gordon Ryan, before I make my transition to MMA," he said.

Both Ryan and Meregali are teammates under the tutelage of John Danaher, and the latter is no stranger to Ruotolo.

Meregali and Ruotolo faced each other in the semifinals of the absolute bracket at the 2022 ADCC World Championship, with the Brazilian walking away with the narrow and controversial decision win.

Ruotolo desires to avenge that loss under the ONE Championship banner.

"I want to fight Meragali no matter what. I feel like I should. I could take bigger guys, and he's the guy I want to take," he stated.

Meanwhile, Ruotolo has an ongoing feud with Ryan, which began when he made a bold declaration that the five-time ADCC world champion would have problems solving his leg locks.

This prompted Ryan to respond and throw verbal jabs of his own on social media and in several interviews.

"Right now, there's a lot of smoke. He talked a lot of sh--. I don't really like the guy, to be honest with you. I'm excited to fight him," Ruotolo expressed.

Ryan was previously under contract with ONE Championship, but he left the organization without participating in a single bout under its banner.

With Ryan now signed under FloSports, Chatri Sityodtong—the chairman and CEO of ONE Championship—hinted that a match opposite Mereagali could be on the horizon for Ruotolo.

"Meregali has accepted already, so it's been something we've been planning. Obviously, he's red-hot. One of the best grapplers in the world," the promoter mentioned.

As Ruotolo plans to stay in grappling for at least the rest of 2023, he revealed that his sibling will probably make this switch to MMA before this year ends.

"I think my brother is going to transition before me, for sure. He wants to fight everyday, so I think he'll definitely make the transition by the end of the year," Tye divulged.

The Ruotolo brothers are back in the grind as Kade is set to defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling title against Tommy Langaker in the co-headliner of ONE Fight Night 11.

ONE Fight Night 11 will take place at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on June 10 (June 9 in the United States).

North American fans will get to watch the event live through Amazon Prime Video.