ONE Championship newcomer Izaak Michell brings a unique backstory to the biggest fight of his career at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video. The Australian ace challenges ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo at the April 5 event, which goes down at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, but airs live in U.S. primetime.
After growing up in Adelaide, South Australia, as a keen skateboarder and promising Australian rules footballer, the 25-year-old found a passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 16 years old. In a sport where most practitioners will study under one professor in their journey to earning a black belt, Michell explained in a recent interview that he has taken a more nomadic approach to his career.
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“I was doing [BJJ] a lot, and then when I was about 18 I started to do a lot of traveling. I enjoyed traveling a lot and I enjoyed jiu-jitsu, so those two go hand in hand as well. I was traveling for jiu-jitsu, going over to do the World Championships in America, going to gyms before that for a month here, a month there, and it eventually led me on this journey around the world.”
“Not only has it been a career and a way for me to make a living, but it’s also been a big spiritual journey, or just a search for meaning. I think that’s a big thing in jiu-jitsu, a reason why people stick around and really make it a lifestyle.”
His travels have seen him seek out the best minds in the grappling world, such as Lloyd Irvin, Renzo Gracie, and John Danaher.
Izaak Michell is ready to shock the world and defeat Tye Ruotolo
With knowledge gleaned from across the globe, Izaak Michell is ready to shock the world when he faces Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 21. Looking at his next opponent, the former IBJJF No-Gi Brown Belt World Champion is confident that he can get the job done.
“Tye is ranked number one in the world at 185, so he’s as good as they come. I’ve been watching a lot of Tye’s matches and studying him. I’m very impressed with him as a grappler,” Michell said.
“He has been doing this for his whole life since he was a kid, so it really shows in his body movements and everything. I’ve been game-planning for this match, and I’m really excited to unfold that. I believe that I am the best 185 guy. So yeah, I think it’s just that I’m capable enough to win and god willing, that will happen.”
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Ruotolo, for his part, has been dominant since making his ONE debut in 2022. The American superstar is unbeaten in his six starts so far, and he became the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion last year with a dominant unanimous decision win over Magomed Abdulkadirov.
