“He's such a legend” - Tye Ruotolo open to fighting BJJ icon Rafael Lovato Jr. in MMA

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo of the United States is hoping to coax Rafael Lovato Jr. out of MMA retirement.

The 42-year-old signed with the home of martial arts and competed at ONE 173 last Nov. 16, where he defeated Giancarlo Bodoni via unanimous decision in middleweight submission grappling action at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Ruotolo, who also submitted Shozo Isojima in the same event in their welterweight MMA showdown, was later asked if he’d be open to scrapping with his fellow BJJ superstar.

The 22-year-old phenom was open to the idea, but admitted he’d prefer to fight Lovato under MMA rules.

Ruotolo told the Bangkok Post’s Nick Atkin:

"I would love to. He's an undefeated MMA fighter, right? Yeah. So yeah, he's still got plenty, I see him. He's still got fight left in him, you know, plenty of it, you know, so it's sick to see for sure. He's such a legend."

Lovato Jr. last competed in MMA in 2019 and retired from the sport with a perfect 11-0 MMA record. The former Bellator Middleweight Champion returned to his roots and continues to compete at the highest levels of grappling.

Check out the full interview:

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Tye Ruotolo expressed deep admiration for Rafael Lovato Jr.

Tye Ruotolo respects the legends that paved the way for him, including the timeless Rafael Lovato Jr.

The 42-year-old is still going strong and proved at ONE 173 that he can more than hold his own against the best grapplers of this generation.

Ruotolo, the ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, said in the same interview:

"I love Lovato, bro. So I got so much respect for that guy. He's such an absolute, he's such a legend. He's been around the game so long, and his game is timeless jiu-jitsu, you know, and that's really the case, you know."