ONE Fight Night 23 saw the first-ever bout between grappling prodigies Tai Ruotolo and Joseph Chen.
The July 5 bout started methodically with Ruotolo scoring a takedown and then going for a submission, and the American's aggressive nature led to a unanimous decision victory in the catchweight bout.
But he was still not satisfied with his performance in Bangkok.
“I could have performed better. It's not a performance I'm very proud of. I didn't have the best camp and I didn't feel the best during the fight. I'm happy that I was able to win even on my worst day,” Ruotolo said after ONE Fight Night 23.
“But I don't want to perform like that, especially at a place like Lumpinee. I have a lot of respect for the audience and the people in the stadium, so I always try my best to put on a good show.”
Whenever two athletes compete against each other, they learn from each other. Preconceived notions melt away. This was certainly true of Ruotolo’s experience with Chen.
After 10 minutes of hard-fought action, Ruotolo spoke about what he learned from his experience with the South Africans.
“To be honest, he's a bit of a nerd online, but when you meet him in person he's a bit stronger. But I have to say, I have a lot of respect for Joseph. He's a great representative of jiu-jitsu.” [He has] It's a really great technique [he’s] “He’s a really good kid. I’m really happy to face him,” said the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion.
Despite his victory, Ruotolo was disappointed that he wasn't 100% ready for the match, and after the event the Atos BJJ star revealed that he had been battling some nagging injuries prior to the match.
“I was sick most of the time through camp. Even before the game I was really a little bit sick. I had a little bit of a problem with my neck. A little bit of a nerve, vagus nerve affected,” Ruotolo said.
“I wasn't feeling really good coming into the game but even on my worst day I just had to be a man and get it done, and I did. I'm happy I got it done and I'll be even better in the next game. I'm going to go home and tackle whatever's preventing me from performing well in the next game and perform like I should.”
In his post-fight interview, Ruotolo said his job isn't done yet and that he wants to compete against other top grapplers, driven by the desire to build a lasting legacy as one of the greatest of all time.
The allure of MMA has also piqued his interest, especially after watching his older brother, Cade, make his MMA debut at ONE Championship.
“I can't wait to do MMA. I'm super excited. I watched my brother's last fight and I was super excited. It was really fun watching him. We always grew up watching MMA fights and we always wanted to be MMA fighters one day. [become] “I'm not a fighter, but I'm the best, so I'm happy with this win in jiu-jitsu. Another addition to my legend. My legend isn't over yet. I want to be the best in jiu-jitsu. There's no question no matter what. I know I'm on my path,” said the American.
While Ruotolo is at the top of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he also wants to be known as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and until that goal is achieved, mixed martial arts will have to wait, no matter how much he likes it.
“Right now, my brother and I definitely feel like we're the strongest, but I want to be the best in the world pound-for-pound, so I'm not going to stop until I get there. But mixed martial arts fighting is a big thing for me, so I'm excited to get a race there as well,” Ruotolo said.
