Tye Ruotolo recently opened up about his upcoming match against Reinier de Ridder at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5th, 2023 and he definitely seems excited for the challenge. While grappling is undoubtedly Ruotolo’s world, the ADCC bronze medallist will not have it easy against de Ridder. After all, de Ridder a fantastic MMA fighter with a 16-1 professional record and the current ONE middleweight world champion. The match between the two top competitors was announced a few months in advance and fans of both men have been eagerly awaiting the moment they meet in the ONE Championship cage.
He recently sat down with interviewers and explained that he had no plans for a specific finish against de Ridder, but he was planning on finishing him:
“I’ll take anything. I’m a submission hunter. Whatever comes my way I’ll take first. I’m not going to pass it up. He’s a tough guy, so I’m not going to be choosy out here.”
It’s likely that Ruotolo isn’t alone in his thinking though, as de Ridder is a submission hunter himself too. 11 of his 16 professional MMA wins have come by way of submission finish and he has a wide repertoire too, with armbars, arm-triangles, triangle chokes, and rear-naked chokes all throughout his record. He’s also got some experience competing at a high level in grappling too, as he recently faced Andre Galvao in a grappling superfight at ONE X that ended in a draw. Ruotolo is definitely aware of the challenge that de Ridder will present too:
“I think all it comes down to is it’s a lot of excitement for me. I like the challenge when people think I can’t do (it). I always work toward something that’s not impossible but really difficult. I feel like in my division, I don’t get that same excitement. I don’t feel like I’m challenged the same way that I am with these bigger guys. So that’s why I love fighting against all the big guys.”
It’s going to be a tough match for either man really and although neither one is guaranteed victory, they’re both going to go all-out for it and the fans will definitely get their money’s worth.
The full ONE Fight Night 10 event, including Tye Ruotolo v Reinier de Ridder, willl be available to watch live on May 5th on Amazon Prime.