The MMA Notebook is published weekly.
Last month, Cade Ruotolo made his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut with a victory, defeating Blake Cooper via rear-naked choke submission.
The next big names to watch in the MMA world are twin brothers Tai Ruotolo, who are set to make their debut later this year.
“I was super excited to see my brother fight,” Ruotolo said. “I felt an overwhelming sense of joy for that fight and was so proud of him. We both grew up watching UFC and wanted to fight in MMA. It was amazing to see my brother's debut. It was on his bucket list and it's on mine too.”
“I think it will happen this year. There's a lot going on. I have two big jiu-jitsu tournaments so after that I'll be completely focused on that.”
Ruotolo will compete at tonight's ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video, where he will face 19-year-old sensation Joseph Chang in a 186-pound catchweight submission grappling bout.
The bout will be broadcast in prime time in the US and will be a must-watch event for the BJJ community.
Ruotolo is still only 21 years old, but when he faces Chang, he is older and more experienced, making him a very dangerous matchup, especially if Chang is at the top of his game.
“I love exciting fights and I love facing adversity,” said Ruotolo, the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion. “I know Joseph Chang and I've studied him, and stylistically he's going to be a very difficult matchup for me.”
“When you become champion, you're at the top of everyone's attack list. I understand that. I want to crush my opponent so much that he doesn't want to fight me again. I'm ready for that and I'm ready to put on a show.”
ONE Fight Night 23 Catchweight Submission Grappling Match: Tai Ruotolo vs. Joseph Chan
last week: 2-3
2024 Record: 67-53
