Ruotolo Brothers Plan To ‘Break’ And Submit Garry Tonon, Shinya Aoki In Debuts At ONE 157

Tye Ruotolo and Kade Ruotolo are two of the most exciting BJJ talents on the planet, and the twin brothers will bring their relentless energy to the Circle this Friday, 20 May.

That evening in Singapore, the teen sensations will make their ONE Championship debuts against elite opponents in American superstar Garry Tonon and Japanese legend Shinya Aoki.

Both submission grappling contests will take place on the main card of the stacked event, and the Ruotolo brothers can’t wait to make a statement in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Tye Ruotolo Plans To ‘Break’ Garry Tonon

Tye Ruotolo’s matchup with grappling pioneer turned MMA rising star Garry Tonon has the BJJ world salivating, as both competitors are known for their all-action, submission-hungry styles. 

The 19-year-old debutant has squared off against several of Tonon’s teammates in recent years, and he wants to put on a show against the man who recently challenged for the ONE Featherweight World Title.

Ruotolo said:

“Garry is a funny guy, and I don’t have any ill will or ill feelings towards him at all. I called him out years ago after I fought Nicky Ryan, one of the teammates. He started to do all his MMA fights so it’s been years, and now we’re finally meeting up. It’s been a few years coming so I’m excited.

“He’s got that super-exciting style, always going for the submission. He’s the definition of a submission hunter, a wild scramble guy, and at the same time, kind of the best at what he does. And right now, I’m ranked number one. So it should be interesting. It’s two guys that are the best.”

These are two of the best ground specialists on the planet, but they’re at very different points in their careers.

Ruotolo is 11 years Tonon’s junior, and though his upcoming foe has mostly focused on MMA since joining ONE, the young Californian has been honing his skills against the best submission grapplers out there.

With those elements on his side, the teen prodigy believes he’ll be able to outwork and outlast the veteran in this clash between new school and old school. 

Tye added:

“I think as soon as we walk forwards, it’s going to be just this hurricane of crazy transitions and scrambles until I break him. That’s the only difference between Garry and me – I have better cardio, and I can adapt the ability to break people more than he does. 

“It’s going to be just an absolutely fire scramble festival for the first few minutes. Five minutes to six minutes in, there’s going to be a big change in the match and I’m going to start to dominate and then break him mentally, get him tired, and submit him before the 10-minute mark.”

Kade Ruotolo Sees ‘A Lot Of Different Routes To Victory’ Against Shinya Aoki

Like his brother, Kade Ruotolo will face a renowned grappler at ONE 157 – but with a difference.

While Garry Tonon made his mark in BJJ before transitioning to mixed martial arts, Shinya Aoki has competed in the all-around sport for nearly 20 years and became a legend with his incredible submission skills.

Most notably, “Tobikan Judan” held the ONE Lightweight World Title on multiple occasions and is the leading submission finisher in ONE Championship history.

With that in mind, Ruotolo will wait and see how the Japanese athlete approaches their contest, and then adapt accordingly.

He said:

“I know [Aoki is] a bit of a workhorse. He looks isometrically strong. And he looks like he doesn’t make too many errors. He’s very good at keeping a consistent pace and a consistent rhythm in his fights. Oddly enough, pretty much one of his only jiu-jitsu matches that I’ve seen was against Garry, Tye’s opponent, and he impressed the heck out of me. 

“As you’ve seen in his entire MMA career, [jiu-jitsu] is pretty much his main weapon, right? I’m just looking forward to finding his weaknesses and executing my plan.”

Of particular note in this battle is the range of submissions that both athletes are known for.

Aoki’s nickname translates to “The Grand Master of Flying Submissions,” while he also has dangerous leg locks, chokes, and plenty more in his locker.

Kade Ruotolo also possesses a wide-ranging offensive arsenal and will keep his options open as he looks to take a massive scalp in his ONE debut this Friday.

The teen star added:

“[I expect] probably a strong wrestling scrap, judo exchanges, some sort of takedown exchange on the feet. Within one or two minutes the fight will definitely be on the ground. And I think, regardless if I’m on bottom or he’s on the bottom, shortly after that moment, I think I’m going to find the submission.

“Whether it’s a D’arce, a front headlock choke, if I get on his leg, or it could be a buggy choke, I think I have a lot of different routes to victory for this match. I’m diverse with my submissions, so it’s hard to pick a specific one. We’ll see what he gives me.”