Tye Ruotolo is set to defend his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling Championship against Pawel Jaworski at ONE Fight Night 41 on March 13th. Following a series of impressive MMA victories where he finished previously unbeaten opponents, Ruotolo reflected on his return to pure submission grappling.
“It’s funny, I had so much focus on MMA training. Coming back to jiu-jitsu for a second, I was kind of thinking about all the things that I was missing. It felt like dusting off the cobwebs, and that process has been really fun. I didn’t feel like I could lose my jiu-jitsu; I’ve done it my entire life. So, just the process of dusting off the cobwebs and trying to figure out all the intricate problems that you don’t necessarily get with MMA in jiu-jitsu.”
“I’ve loved using my mind like that again. So, I’ve kind of fallen in love with jiu-jitsu again, just training it. I’m super excited to have the opportunity to defend my belt against someone like Pawel, a high-level leg locker who people know is very dangerous.”
When asked if he views leg locks as Jaworski’s predominant skill set in this championship showdown, Ruotolo stated:
“Pawel, I would say he has one very singular way to victory, at least in our matchup, and that’s with the leg locks. That’s his specialty, and he puts all his focus into his leg locks. He’s one of the best in the world at it, one of the most dangerous guys in the world at leg locks. So, I know for sure it’s something that I can’t sleep on.”
“However, I do feel like his route to victory is also my strongest asset as far as defense goes. I know that my leg lock defense is probably the best in the world, in the most humble way possible. I just genuinely feel that I cannot get leg locked, and so we’re going to put that to the test here pretty soon. Pawel is super dangerous, and I’m excited to test that theory. It’s been a long time since someone’s been on my leg, and I’m excited to test that theory.”
Tye Ruotolo: ”I’m Dangerous” Heading into ONE FN 41 Title Defense
Acknowledging Jaworski as a formidable threat in the heel hook department while confident in his own multifaceted game, Tye Ruotolo quipped:
“Yeah, I try to be as realistic as possible. Sometimes it’s not good to have fake confidence, even though confidence is good. But yeah, I know what I’m capable of, and I know I’m capable of ending a match anywhere. Even with my own leg locks and armbars, chokes, anywhere, I’m dangerous, and I know that he’s also dangerous as well. So, yeah, I just got to look at the match for what it is and come in hot.”
