One of the cool things about consistently training jiu-jitsu at the highest level is that you’re always prepared to compete.
That’s exactly the life that the 16-year-old Ruotolo brothers lead through their training at Atos HQ, and Tye Ruotolo proved it by jumping into (and winning) a tournament that he wasn’t even supposed to be competing in. Oh, and he also did it while overcoming an insane weight difference.
Ruotolo was attending the World Series of Jiu-Jitsu event in Orange County over the weekend to coach one of his teammates. Then, he decided that he may as well try to win as well, so he jumped into the 205lb no-gi purple belt category and the no-gi brown belt open 205lb+ division. To put these weight classes in perspective, Ruotolo, a purple belt himself, competed in the -66kg (-145lb) division at ADCC last year, meaning that he went up against competitors who outweighed him by at least 60lbs.
Ruotolo did exactly what he set out to do, winning both of his no-gi divisions and taking home a combined $825 for his achievements. The teen athlete shared the news on the brothers’ Instagram account along with some footage of his matches:
It just goes to show that it can pay (literally) to be constantly prepared for competition, even if it’s a challenge for many of us who aren’t working to be career athletes in jiu-jitsu.
