Ty Ruotolo officially made history as the first-ever ONE Championship welterweight grappling world champion by winning a decision over Russia’s Magomed Abdulkadirov.
Last Saturday, November 4, at ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade, broadcast live from the famous Lumpini Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the Dagestani failed to convince the judges that he deserved to win the inaugural ONE belt.
During the first minutes of the co-main event of the ONE Fight Night 16 tournament, the opponents fought on their feet, but as soon as Ruotolo managed to get on guard, he began attacking from behind. Abdulkadirov showed tight defense, but the American looked for opportunities to grab a leg. He tried to block his opponent’s leg and took the first opportunity to take a top position. Ruotolo passed masterfully into the guard. The American grappler made the first grab with a guillotine, after that – D’Arce, almost winning a quick victory over Abdulkadirov.
Abdulkadirov defended tenaciously and, despite Ruotolo’s attack continuing, the 32-year-old Dagestani found a way to hold on until the final bell.
After 10 minutes of intense fighting, the American BJJ prodigy won by unanimous decision. With this historic victory, Ruotolo improved his record to 26-9, received a $50,000 performance bonus, and most importantly, captured the inaugural ONE Welterweight Grappling World Championship.
Today, he and his twin brother, lightweight king Cade Ruotolo, have become ONE Submission Grappling world champions. Together, they became the second sibling pair to win a championship in ONE. Four and a half years ago, the first were Angela and Christian Lee.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
