‘He doesn’t really want to fight’ – Tye Ruotolo speaks on potential rematch with Nicholas Meregali
After defeating Jozef Chen at ONE Fight Night 23, Tye Ruotolo spoke about a potential match against Nicholas Meregali.
Last Friday, July 5, at ONE Fight Night 23, Tye Ruotolo picked up a hard-fought decision win over 19-year-old phenom Jozef Chen in a non-title submission grappling tilt.
While neither athlete was able to mount any serious submission attacks or secure a dominant position, Ruotolo earned the decision on the strength of an early takedown and his aggressive, relentless guard pass attempts.
For Ruotolo, the decision victory extends his unblemished record in ONE to 7-0 and further cements him as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound competitors. It also bodes well for his chances at the upcoming Craig Jones Invitational, where he and Chen will both compete for the $1 million prize in the -80kg division.
After the match, Ruotolo spoke to the media about his performance. He says that injuries and illness kept him from training at his fullest:
“I really can just sit here and make a bunch of excuses. But just within my camp, I was sick for most of it. And even before the fight, I really was feeling a bit off. I’ve been going through a couple little neck things. It has kind of been affecting a little bit of my nerve, the vagus nerve. I really wasn’t feeling great going into the match, but even on all my worst days, I just gotta man up and get it done, and that’s what I did. I’m stoked to get it done, and in my next performance, I will be better. I’m going to go home and get in front of everything that would prevent me from having a great performance in my next one. I’ll perform how I’m supposed to.”
When asked who he’d like to face next, Ruotolo was quick to bring up a rematch with multiple-time IBJJF world champion Nicholas Meregali. The pair met in the semifinals of the absolute division at the 2022 ADCC World Championships, where Meregali won a narrow and contentious decision.
Ruotolo says he’s been angling for a match with Meregali in ONE, but that match has yet to come to fruition:
“We’ve been trying to get Meregali for a long time. I guess he’s very difficult to work with, I don’t know, but I just think he doesn’t really want to fight, to be honest with you. The last time we fought, I had multiple torn ligaments in my knee. He used to be fifty pounds heavier and I still alpha-checked him…back at the end of the fight, you know. So that’s one that I really want to get back. I’ve got Meregali. It doesn’t really matter, whoever ONE feels like they want to put in front of me next. I’m ready for anything.”
While he’s not ready to put grappling on the back burner, Ruotolo does have an interest in trying his hand at MMA. His twin brother, Kade Ruotolo, recently made his successful MMA debut:
“I can’t wait to do MMA, you know, I’m so excited to go. I’ve been watching my brother’s last fight, it got me so fired up. It was so rad to see him. We always grew up watching MMA fights, and we always knew that we wanted to be MMA fighters one day, too, not just [become] fighters, but the best. So I’m happy to get this win in jiu-jitsu. One more for the legacy. My legacy is not done. I want to be the best in the world of jiu-jitsu. No questions, no matter what. I know I’m on my way. I think right now, we’re probably considered the best, my brother and I, for sure. But I want to be pound-for-pound, the best in the world. So I’m not going to stop until I get to that. But an MMA fight, that’s such a big thing for me, so I’m excited to be a part of the race there too.”
