Tye Ruotolo vs. Izaak Michell rebooked for ONE Fight Night 21 in April
Tye Ruotolo will defend his ONE submission grappling world title against Izaak Michell at ONE Fight Night 21 on April 5.
The world title matchup between current ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo and promotional newcomer Izaak Michell has been rescheduled for ONE Fight Night 21 on Friday, April 5. The pair were originally slated to clash on March 1 at ONE 166: Qatar.
ONE Championship announced the new date earlier this week.
Ruotolo claimed the inaugural welterweight title in November 2023 with a dominant decision win over ADCC veteran Magomed Abdulkadirov at ONE Fight Night 16. After that victory, he called out Michell, just as he had in August following his win over Dagi Arslanaliev.
Tye Ruotolo vs. Izaak Michell
Undefeated with three submissions across five bouts in ONE Championship, Ruotolo is widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound no-gi grapplers in the sport. In addition to his work in ONE, Ruotolo boasts a third-place finish at the 2022 ADCC World Championships, with notable wins over top light heavyweight Pedro Marinho and former ADCC absolute champion Felipe Pena.
For his part, Michell is significantly less accomplished, but nonetheless one of the planet’s top 185-pound competitors. In addition to his gold-medal performances at the 2022 and 2023 ADCC Asia and Oceania Trials, he holds key victories over Roberto Jimenez, Jansen Gomes, and Jacob Couch.
Both athletes are considered among the sport’s most entertaining.
Ruotolo is a buzzsaw of activity and aggression. And while he is a well-rounded grappler with skills in all areas, he tends to do his best work with wrestling, guard passing, and back-takes.
The Australian, meanwhile, is an excellent leg locker and back-taker, employing his top-notch physicality to wear down his opponents as the match drags on.
Like all other submission grappling matches in ONE Championship, this contest will consist of one, 10-minute round of submission-only action. In the event no submission occurs, a panel of judges will award the winner based on the most legitimate submission attempts.
How to watch: Tye Ruotolo vs. Izaak Michell will take place in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video on Friday, April 5, and will air live on Prime Video (free with Amazon Plus subscription) beginning at 8:00 PM EST.
