Tye Ruotolo

Tye Ruotolo is a professional jiu-jitsu athlete and a representative of André Galvão‘s Atos Academy. He is also 50% of the Ruotuolo Twins – a representation he shares with his brother and fellow world-class grappler, Kade. Precociously talented, the Ruotolo Brothers became widely recognized as two of the hottest prospects in the grappling world at the age of 10, when they received their first major brand endorsement. On the professional-grappling competitive circuit, Tye’s first breakthrough moment was at the 2019 ADCC World Championship – the sport’s most respected NO-GI tournament – in which he competed as a 16-year-old blue belt and conquered a #4 placement. Tye Ruotolo would later become the youngest-ever IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) World Champion (2022), a title he conquered after fellow tournament finalist Micael Galvao was removed from the podium for testing positive for PED’s by the USADA.

Tye Ruotolo Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Tye Ruotolo

Nickname: N/A

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Reyson Gracie > Osvaldo Alves > Luis Dagmar >André Galvão > Tye Ruotolo

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2022)
• 1st Place WNO Championship (2021)
• 2nd Place 3QG Kumite 5 GP (2020)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2023)
• 3rd Place ADCC (2022)
• 4th Place ADCC (2019)

Main Achievements (Kids + Juvenile):

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2019, 2021 brown belt)
• 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2019)
• 1st Place IBJJF Pan Kids Championship (2011 / 2013 / 2015 / 2017)
• 1st Place IBJJF Kids International Championship (2014 / 2016)
• 1st Place IBJJF Kids American Nationals (2015)
• 2nd Place IBJJF European Open (2019*)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Kids Championship (2018)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Kids Championship (2010)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Scramble-Jitsu (top position), Leg-Pin Guard-Pass, Darce Choke

Weight Division: Peso Leve (76,00 kg / 168.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Atos

Tye Ruotolo Biography

Tye Ruotolo was born in January 2003, in Maui, state of Hawaii, USA, being of Italian & Puerto Rican heritage.

The Ruotolo family moved to Huntington Beach, CA when both Tye and his twin brother Kade were in their infancy. While living in the Golden State, Tye’s parents took full advantage of the growing California jiu-jitsu scene by signing the Ruotolo Twins to Cleber Luciano‘s school, with the brothers having their first competitive experience at the age of 3 (2006).

With their father being an avid grappler himself, the Ruotolo Twins had the full parental backing to live and breathe the jiu-jitsu lifestyle. Their hard work was quickly validated on the competition scene, where they both made waves as the first child grappling stars. This status earned the twins a sponsorship with one of the top lifestyle brands in the nation (RVCA), at the age of 10.

Possibly due to their connection with the RVCA, the Ruotolo family moved their training routine to the Art Of Jiu-Jitsu academy (AOJ) in 2013 – a state-of-the-art gym closely linked with the brand. There Kade, Tye, their father, and younger sister Nya trained for nearly 4 years, being led by IBJJF world champions: Guilherme and Rafael Mendes.

Midway through 2017, the Ruotolos switched camps to the Atos Headquarters Academy in San Diego – A team with which AOJ was affiliated at the time. At the Atos HQ, Kade’s tuition was taken over by André Galvão, who graded the duo from green belt onwards.

Although still in their early teens, the Ruotolo’s opted to have their first taste of pro-level no-gi action in November 2018, at the East Coast ADCC Trials in New Jersey. There, 15-year-old blue belt Tye made waves by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament, defeating an array of adult pro-athletes. The Ruotolo’s enjoyed the experience thoroughly and decided to focus more on the no-gi ruleset for the West Coast trials, a few months later. Although they did not leave with a medal, their performances turned a few heads their way, including those of the event’s match-makers who invited Tye to the main show in Anaheim, in September 2019. Ruotolo once again impressed everyone by reaching another semi-final, being the youngest athlete to ever reach that late-round in the prestigious tournament at 16-years and 9 months.

On December 14, 2021, André Galvão promoted Tye and his brother, to the rank of black belt in jiu-jitsu.

TYE RUOTOLO BELT PROMOTIONS

– April 5, 2018, blue belt (15-years-old)
– December 27, 2019, purple belt (16-years-old)
– October 19, 2020, brown belt (17-years-old)
– December 14, 2021, black belt (18-years-old)

Traditionally BJJ Heroes has only accounted for black belt records as they signify an athlete’s entry into our sport’s elite ranks, the professional division. Tye, however, is a special case in our sport as he’s been competing in the pro-grappling circuit since his mid-teens, beating some of the sport’s top-ranked athletes. This left BJJ Heroes with a delicate predicament of defining when to start accounting for the young prodigy’s match records, as these wins should be noted for the importance they had on Ruotolo’s career.

To capture Tye’s full progress in our sport, we have decided to include his matches in the pro circuit, prior to his black belt. This includes his 2019 ADCC World Championships bouts – the earliest recorded by our site due to the weight this tournament carries in the sport – these occurred when he was a 16YO blue belt on the verge of earning his purple belt.

Tye Ruotolo VS Kekoa Torres