Buchecha Previews Ruotolo vs. De Ridder And Musumeci vs. Almarwai At ONE Fight Night 10
A pair of high-stakes, intriguing submission grappling matches are set to take place on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video – the organization’s landmark debut on United States soil.
First, 20-year-old prodigy Tye Ruotolo will put his undefeated ONE record on the line against reigning middleweight MMA king Reinier de Ridder in a crossover super-fight.
And in the first co-main event, ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci will defend his belt against Yemeni sensation Osamah Almarwai.
Before those bouts go down at 1stBank Center in Colorado, surging heavyweight MMA contender and 17-time BJJ World Champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida shared his thoughts on each matchup.
Having followed Ruotolo and his twin brother, ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo, since they were children, “Buchecha” is intimately familiar with the young American’s revolutionary style of grappling.
And just like fans around the world, the Brazilian icon is incredibly excited to see Tye share the Circle with “The Dutch Knight”:
“That’s gonna be a really good one, and it’s gonna be a tricky fight for both of them. You know me and the Ruotolo brothers. We are friends for a long time, and I met these kids when they were like green belts. And back in the day, we’re from the same team, RVCA team. And I just had the opportunity to train with Reinier only one time so, I know more about Tye’s game. It’s gonna be a good one.”
Even though De Ridder is best known for his prodigious accomplishments in mixed martial arts, that doesn’t mean he’s not a talented grappler.
A black belt in both judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the middleweight MMA king battled BJJ legend (and Ruotolo’s instructor) Andre Galvao to a draw in a high-paced submission grappling match last March at ONE X.
The Dutchman has also been sharpening his BJJ skills with some of the best grapplers in the United States, so “Buchecha” thinks he’ll be well-prepared for many of Ruotolo’s tricks:
“I know [De Ridder] is doing camps in America, and he’s trying to keep it up with the younger game, and newer game. So that’s why I think he’s not gonna get left behind on the new games, the new technique, this kind of stuff.”
Buchecha: ‘I Think Mikey’s Gonna Keep The Belt’
Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida is equally excited to see Mikey Musumeci and Osamah Almarwai tango for the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title.
After three dominant victories inside the Circle – including a pair of World Title wins – “Darth Rigatoni” is looking practically unbeatable. But he’ll face a stiff test in Almarwai, who in 2022 became the first-ever competitor from the Middle East to win an IBJJF Black Belt World Title.
Still, “Buchecha” is picking Musumeci and his computer-like brain to retain the golden belt on May 5:
“For sure, fighting against the champ like Mikey will be a really tough job for [Almarwai] because Mikey is something special for sure. The kid, he sees jiu-jitsu in a different way. He thinks so fast. He makes decisions really fast in a fight, and that is something amazing to watch, so I think it’s gonna be a great fight. But I think Mikey’s gonna keep the belt.”
Although Musumeci is primarily known for his complex guard play, Almeida also expects to see him show off some of his rarely seen guard passing in front of the partisan American crowd.
He added:
“Being honest, his passing game is really good. He has really good techniques passing. We don’t see him much on top, but once he gets on top, for sure we’re gonna see a lot of pressure and I think because of that, he wants to test himself so we’re gonna see a lot of top game for sure.”
