Tye Ruotolo to Take On Magomed Abdulkadirov for the Inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship at ONE Fight Night 16

Tye Ruotolo will have a shot at inaugural ONE Championship gold in his next outing, but he’ll have to take out a dangerous newcomer to claim it. The world’s largest martial arts organization announced recently that the grappling phenom will meet Magomed Abdulkadirov for the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on November 3.

Bantamweight Muay Thai and MMA kings Jonathan Haggerty and Fabricio Andrade will battle it out for the vacant kickboxing strap in the evening’s main event inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and the spectacle now has a second World Title to bolster the card. 

World title aspirations slow down as Tye Ruotolo’s last challenge presents itself

Tye and his twin brother, Kade Ruotolo, have established themselves as undeniable stars in ONE’s submission grappling ranks by dominating every opponent that has stood across from them so far. Kade claimed the inaugural crown in the lightweight division, while Tye has consistently challenged himself by competing against physically larger foes. So far this year, he has overcome ONE Middleweight MMA World Champion Reinier de Ridder and MMA contender Dagi Arslanaliev in submission grappling contests, and he will now get a chance to become a World Champion in the sport without having to challenge his brother’s reign. 

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But standing in the way of the inaugural welterweight strap will be a significant challenge in the form of Abdulkadirov. Though he’ll be making his promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 16, the hulking Russian is well-versed in competition. He is trained in BJJ, wrestling, sambo, and MMA and is a veteran of the prestigious ADCC World Championships, as well as an ADCC European Trials Champion.

Taking his interests elsewhere? Or is that just another rumor about Tye Ruotolo?

This won’t be the first time Ruotolo has faced a dangerous multi-sport athlete. But with a World Title on the line, fans can expect him to enforce his dominant Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the hopes of claiming a pivotal win. Rumors of a switch to MMA have followed the Atos representative for the last few months, and his wins over two mixed martial arts stars in De Ridder and Arslanaliev this year only fueled that hearsay.

But with him competing for the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE Fight Night 16 next month, it looks like Ruotolo is keeping his priorities in the canvas-based ranks for now.

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