American grappling sensation Kade Ruotolo seems to be in rich form before his fight at ONE 168: Denver. Ruotolo recently won the Craig Jones Invitational on August 17 and won a $1 million prize. Both Kade and Tye Ruotolo participated in the under 80kg division. The ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion dominated his opponents and is now ready to shift his focus back on defending his belt. 

However, not everything was smooth for Tye Ruotolo. He injured his knee in the early rounds of his second match and could not get past Levi Jones-Leary to bow out of the tournament. Kade would later beat Jones-Leary in the final to bag the prize and avenge his brother. Let us take a look at what the 21-year-old had to say about his brother’s injury. 

Kade Ruotolo is confident that his brother will come back even stronger 

After successfully adding yet another glowing accomplishment to his incredible resume, the 21-year-old took time to appreciate the event. However, he also made sure to share a message for his brother Tye Rutolo, who dropped out early in the tournament after getting injured and losing his second match. On his Instagram account, Kade said: “I believe my brother would have won the -80 if it weren’t for his knee injury in round one of his second match. He’s an absolute beast for even finishing out the next two rounds. He’ll be back even stronger.” 

Tye Ruotolo might not have won the Craig Jones Invitational tournament after failing to get past Levi Jones-Leary on Day 1, but his resume is loaded with multiple achievements. He is a black belt under seven-time BJJ World Champion Andre “Deco” Galvao. As a 16-year-old, he surprised everyone when he bagged fourth place in the ADCC World Championship.

Considered a prodigy, the 21-year-old would later take his talents to ONE Championship, where he is currently undefeated in seven bouts that include him winning and defending the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title. Hopefully, he can quickly recover from his injury and return to action soon. 

Talking about his twin brother Kade Ruotolo, he will be back in action on September 6 when he takes on Mikey Musumeci. The 21-year-old will be defending his title against a fellow American in Denver. Let us take a look at the upcoming clash between two of the best grapplers in the world. 

Mikey Musumeci vs Kade Ruotolo a clash of two titans at ONE 168 

One of the biggest attractions of the year is the upcoming grappling clash between two American superstars. Musumeci and Ruotolo are both thrilled to face each other and so are the fans. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ currently holds the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title and is moving up three weight classes to add a second belt. However, his opponent is not only fresh from winning a million dollars at CJI, but is also one of the most creative grapplers around.

During his tenure at ONE Championship to date, the 21-year-old has shown a wide variety of tricks during his matches. However, facing Musumeci will be a completely new challenge and Ruotolo seems to be prepared for it. The 28-year-old is undefeated in his ONE career to date and is also considered one of the finest grapplers in the world. But his fellow American, Kade Ruotolo is confident about his skills and, in a recent interview with ONE Championship, shared his game plan.

He said, “I think one thing that favors me in the matchup is that I feel like I have a lot of different routes to victory, whether it’s going for the back or sticking to my passing.” Musumeci, on the other hand, is also gearing up for the fight and is determined to add a second belt to his career. 

Who do you think will win the fight at ONE 168: Denver? Let us know your pick in the comments below.