Twin BJJ Prodigies Kade And Tye Ruotolo Detail The Surprising Differences Between Them
Twin brothers Kade and Tye Ruotolo share a unique bond, each having conquered the world of submission grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Tye – the reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion – will soon return to action in a non-title catchweight clash against 19-year-old prodigy Jozef Chen on July 5 at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The brothers are practically inseparable. They’ve spent a lifetime training, competing, and winning at the highest levels of BJJ. They surf together. They’ve built a gym in the Costa Rican paradise together. To this day, they remain roommates.
With so much in common, how are the 21-year-old ONE superstars different?
The Ruotolos recently spoke to onefc.com about what makes each of them unique, and fans might be surprised just how different they are – including how they take care of their aches and pains.
Kade said:
“The first [difference] is the awareness of our bodies, and taking care of our bodies, and being aware of rehab and stuff like that. Tye loves it. If Tye didn’t do jiu-jitsu, I could see him being a personal trainer or a chiropractor or something. He enjoys understanding the body and fixing himself and unwinding himself.
“I’m like my dad. I’m old school. If I’m hurt, I’m just like, ‘I’m not hurt, I’m fine.’ I just try to keep a ‘you know, I’m fine. It hurts, but it doesn’t hurt’ mentality. Because, I know in the match, adrenaline usually takes the pain away. I’m always kinda neglecting my injuries, and Tye is always taking care of his, so that’s probably one of the main differences.”
In terms of personality, Tye says he’s less outgoing than his brother, preferring to spend more quiet time at home rather than going out:
“I probably hermit out more than Kade does. Kade enjoys making a lot of connections, sponsorship type of things. I like to hermit out a little bit. I’m outgoing, but when I’m at home, I’m happy. I think that’s the biggest difference.”
What’s more, while each brother admits to having a temper, they agree that, in Kade’s words, Tye is slightly more “mellow.”
Tye explains that his brother – who recently won his professional MMA debut in spectacular fashion – is quicker to let his temper go:
“I let things fly by until it’s really affecting me. Kade, he checks s*** immediately, no matter what.”
How The Ruotolos Grapple Differently
Beyond those personality differences, Kade and Tye Ruotolo approach the sport of grappling in different ways.
Both athletes are true submission artists and widely recognized as two of the top pound-for-pound grapplers on the planet, but according to Kade, his sibling’s style is focused on pace and pressure to break down his opponent – while viewing himself as a more opportunistic submission hunter.
The reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion added the following while preparing for his World Title defense against Mikey Musumeci on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver.
“Tye is like an avalanche, where he starts and just… the avalanche is coming, and coming, and coming. And it just keeps growing and becoming stronger until you just are overwhelmed, and you can’t take it, and you break, and he finishes you – for the most part. Unless he just snipes through your game and subs you there.
“Me, for the most part, I try to be more spontaneous and less of a pace, more of just a window, more opportunity-based. I need more of his pace for sure. We always say, what he has I need, and vice versa. I would say those are the main differences.”
