“Let’s Do You vs Kade or Tye” – Chatri Sityodtong Invites Grappling Sensation to Compete in ONE Amid Reports of Ruotolos Shunning ADCC

ONE Championship submission grappling stars, the Ruotolo brothers, Kade and Tye, sent shockwaves through the BJJ world yesterday. Craig Jones announced on social media that the brothers were competing at the CJI, which effectively means they will not compete at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) tournament, which will be held on the same weekend. This move grabbed the attention of many grappling athletes, including an ADCC 2022 medalist, who expressed his disappointment in the comment section.

Interestingly, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong replied to the ADCC star in the comment, offering him to chance to compete for a world title under the banner of ONE Championship.

Chatri Sityodtong invites a grappling sensation

Aussie grappler Craig Jones, a legend in BJJ known for his double-silver showing in the ADCC world, isn’t at the prestigious tournament this year. Instead, he’s making waves with his own competition, the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), which will be held on the same weekend as ADCC’s event. 

CJI made quite a buzz recently when it announced that both Ruotolo twins are set to compete in the 80kg division, which means they will not be participating at the ADCC as well. This caught the eye of ADCC medalist Mica Galvao, who expressed his feelings about the news by commenting “disappointed” on Craig Jones’s Instagram post announcing the Ruotolo brother’s participation in CJI.

This comment caught the attention of ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who offered Mica Galvao a life-changing opportunity. He replied, “@micagalvaojj mica, I love your jiu-jitsu. let’s do you vs Kade or Tye for the world title in ONE! @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu.“

Since the 20-year-old may not cross paths with the Ruotolos at ADCC, he could instead take up Sityodtong’s offer and take his talents to ONE to settle the score on the prodigious twins. 

Mica Galvao’s history with the Ruotolo Twins

Mica Galvao getting disappointed at the CJI announcement is totally warranted. There’s no doubt that he wants to revisit a couple of major events where the Ruotolos became major roadblocks for him. At the 2022 ADCC tournament, Galvao reached the final round of his division following three stellar wins. Unfortunately, he lost in the final against Kade Ruotolo, resulting in him getting a silver medal instead. 

In the same year, Mica Galvao became the youngest-ever IBJJF World Champion after defeating Tye Ruotolo in the tournament final. Unfortunately, he tested positive for a banned substance, which resulted in him being stripped of his title and getting suspended for a year. This awarded the win to silver medal finisher Tye Ruotolo, who instead became the youngest-ever IBJJF World Champion.

Following his suspension, Galvao continued his brilliant run, and this year, he achieved an IBJJF grand slam by winning all four major tournaments of the organization in one season. He may be disappointed at not getting his hands on either of the Ruotolos in ADCC, but the twins are also quite busy in ONE.

Tye Ruotolo is getting ready for action against rising star Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Night 23 on U.S. primetime on Friday, July 5. Meanwhile, Kade Ruotolo is fresh off his MMA debut and is set to defend his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title against fellow grappling prodigy Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver in September. 

With an open invitation from Chatri Sityodtong himself, Mica Galvao could have a golden opportunity to redeem himself against the Ruotolo brothers and take what they earned in ONE Championship. Who do you think he should challenge first if he does join ONE? Drop your pick in the comments below.