ONE Championship: Ruotolo brothers set for their submission grappling debuts opposite Garry Tonon, Shinya Aoki
- Two of the brightest stars in submission grappling, 19-year-old Hawaiian twins will be thrown in at the deep end in Asian martial arts promotion
- Tye Ruotolo will meet former featherweight title challenger Tonon, while his brother Kade will take on former lightweight champ Aoki
Tye and Kade Ruotolo, two of the brightest young talents on the submission grappling circuit, are set to make their ONE Championship debuts on May 20.
The Hawaiian twins will not receive warm welcomes.
Tye will make his debut in a 12-minute submission-only grappling match against five-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion Garry Tonon, while Kade will meet Japanese grappling legend Shinya Aoki under the same rule-set.
The brothers’ debuts were revealed by ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong on Monday evening.
The ONE boss clarified that, unlike the organisation’s previous submission grappling contests, these bouts will not end with a draw if neither fighter achieves a submission.
“If a match ends without a submission, the athlete with the most number of real submission attempts wins,” Chatri explained on Facebook.
The Ruotolo brothers, for those unaware, have been hailed as future stars since before they were teenagers.