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At just 19 years old, twin brothers Kade and Tye Ruotolo are quickly becoming some of the most recognizable figures in the sport of submission grappling, which bans strikes and instead focuses on clinch work and ground fighting, with athletes seeking victory by forcing their opponents to tap out.
Kade is currently the reigning ONE Championship submission grappling lightweight titleholder and earlier this year became the youngest-ever winner of the ADCC World Championship, an annual event that is considered one of the most prestigious titles in the sport. Meanwhile, Kade debuted with ONE Championship in May and scored a 97-second submission win over grappling standout Garry Tonon.
The two will keep the ball rolling at this weekend's ONE on Prime Video 5 event, which streams live Friday in North American primetime on Amazon Prime Video from Manila.
"I feel like I've been competing so much, and usually I like to take a little break just for it mentally to stay, you know, fired up," Kade said ahead of the event. "So kind of the same thing for this one. I took a little break right after (the ADCC World Championship in September). My training camp was very short, you know, probably about a week-and-a-half of training, but I've been doing so many camps and so many matches as of recently, so not much change, to be honest. Just training with my brother, training with my team back home at Atos headquarters."
At ONE on Prime Video 5, Kade will put his belt on the line against Brazil's Matheus Gabriel, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and multiple-time IBJJF world champion.
"Matheus is a scrapper," Kade said. "He's been around the BJJ scene for a long time now. You know, I remember being a blue belt and looking at him at black belt worlds and winning and taking it out, so he's definitely a very high-level competitor. He has great wins over a lot of really good guys and, you know, he's no scrub by any means. He's going to come hot, so it'll be an exciting match."
Courtesy of ONE Championship
Meanwhile, Tye is in action against Russian submission ace Marat Gafurov, a former ONE Championship MMA featherweight titleholder.
"He's super tough, right?" Tye said. "Tough Russian. Gnarly wrestling. You know, it's going to be an exciting match. I think he's really going to come forward, which I'm excited for. That's one thing that my brother and I always kind of have to deal with a lot, is guys kind of being defensive as opposed to, you know, coming forward. ... I'm excited to go head-to-head with him."
Both brothers are perfect under the ONE Championship banner early in their careers for the promotion but are excited to be showcasing their Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills on a global platform. ONE provides a unique product that features submission grappling, kickboxing and Muay Thai alongside MMA bouts, as well, leading the promotion to bill itself as "the largest martial arts organization in the world."
The only question right now for the dominant twins is how best to separate the hardware available from ONE Championship. Tye said he isn't interested in taking the belt away from his brother and is considering a move to another division to potentially earn a title of his own.
"My brother has developed in that division, and for me, my goal is to get to the top and fight the best and, you know, get the belt, so I don't really have too much interest in taking the belt from my brother," Tye said.
Of course, he might not have a choice. Should willing opponents become harder to find, the two may eventually find themselves with only each other to challenge. There's also the fact that Kade doesn't seem quite as reluctant to try and arrange such a matchup, given that Tye holds three previous wins over him.
"I know we can have a match and it'll be very exciting." Tye said. "It'll be a crazy night for sure, and one day I'm sure that will happen."
"I want that match, I'll tell you that much," Kade said with a laugh. "I'm 0-3. I need that match."
