Tye Ruotolo headlined the last iteration of Flograppling’s Who’s Number One in the main event against Craig Jones. Although his hand wasn’t raised at the end of the 15-minute match he scored some big wins.
Living Up to the Hype
This match has been gaining momentum since the pair were initially supposed to fight a few months ago. Craig, unfortunately, had to pull out to do health complications leaving fans eager to see this matchup go down. Although it lived up to the hype it was a very different fight than was expected.
Tye is regarded as an innovator for passing guards. And, it was Craig’s guard that gave merit to his name in jiu-jitsu. Fans were excited to see how Craig’s guard held up against the relentless, and constantly evolving top game of Tye. However, Craig left us feeling a little unfulfilled in that regard as he insisted on experimenting with wrestling and playing on top. This strategy allowed him to completely avoid Tye’s most lethal techniques.
Although it wasn’t what we expected it allowed Tye to show off a side of his game that is not commonly seen.
Tye Ruotolo Is Not a One Trick Pony
While the judges and commentators were preoccupied with Craig’s surprising strategy they completely overlooked Tye’s success adapting and responding. We got to see that Tye’s guard is as active and dangerous as his top game. Once the match his the mats Tye was relentless in his attacks. We saw buggy choke attempts, outside straight ankle lock attacks, and kneebar attempts proving that Tye is capable, confident, and fearless even when contending with one of the best leg lockers in the game. His attacks gave Craig pause to the point that by the last five minutes Craig would receive a stalling penalty.
What’s Next…
In a post-fight interview Tye admits that the match did not go as expected, but as Flograppling states in their Event Review, “Craig Jones won, but Tye didn’t really lose”.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter that Tye weighed in over 20-pounds less than his opponent. Or, that Craig deployed an unexpected strategy. Tye masterfully executed a game that he doesn’t commonly use against a formidable opponent. He kept the pace high and found entries to attacks from all angles. Whether they were on the feet or playing from his guard. What fans would hope to see is a quick rematch between these guys. It is clear there is still unfinished business.