“A Great Opportunity” – Young Prodigy Jozef Chen Excited to Face Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 23

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 4 minutes read

Young phenom Jozef Chen is one of the fastest rising stars ever seen in the sport of submission grappling, and at ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov on Prime Video, he will make his highly anticipated debut for the world’s largest martial arts organization.

This Friday in prime time in the United States, the 19-year-old will face current ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in a 186-pound non-title bout that has the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world buzzing.

A true savant of the grappling arts, Chen has been training for just under six years but has already established himself as an elite talent, boasting victories over some of the biggest names in BJJ, including two-time ONE world title challenger Tommy Langaker.

Part of what makes Chen so special is his cerebral approach to competition.

Rather than focusing on match results or the fame that might come with a victory in his ONE debut, he's simply looking forward to testing his skills against one of the best players in the world.

Moreover, the South African knows that his confrontation with Ruotolo, 21, will probably not be the last time the two young prodigies meet.

Chen told onefc.com:

“I have a good idea of what he's going to do. But I mean, the best way to test a lot of these ideas about what might work and what might not work is to actually play the game.

“I mean, he's very young. I think he's a little bit older than me, but I guess in our careers, this won't be the only time we cross paths. So I think it's a great opportunity for me to test a lot of things that I've been working on.”

Both Chen and Ruotolo embody modern, complete grappling. They are both capable of attacking from any position, excel at advanced leg lock techniques, possess high-level takedowns, and are masters of the back.

However, they go about it in very different ways. While the Californian is a very active and particularly creative submission artist, Chen tends to be more methodical and control-oriented in his path to submission.

The difference, Chen explains, is likely due to their difference in experience, with Ruotolo relying on instincts honed over a lifetime of training:

“I think his style is a result of his length of training and his education in jiu-jitsu. I've been doing jiu-jitsu for almost six years, so I wouldn't say I have that much intuition about what I necessarily need to do, and so that manifests itself in what could be perceived as a methodical and slower approach.

“I feel like because he's been training for so long, he has a really good idea of what he wants to do in certain positions. That's where his intuition and dynamic movement really comes into play.”

Despite the difference in experience, make no mistake: Chen is a world-class competitor who is fully capable of handing Ruotolo his first ONE loss.

The B-Team representative has already picked up a number of impressive victories in recent months, taking down some of the sport's most respected black belts.

He notably displayed a seemingly unstoppable passing game, even breaking Langaker's vaunted open guard – something Ruotolo's twin brother, ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo, couldn't do in a 20-minute battle with the Norwegian.

Given his passing game, it's no surprise that Chen sees securing top position as key to his victory at Bangkok's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium:

“My idea is really to try to test a lot of the skills that I'm trying to work on. So standing is definitely a position that I'm going to try to see what works, what doesn't work, and try to play from there.

“Because if I can get to the top position on Tye, it’s going to be a very winning strategy from there. Usually you can see that he wants to do his best from the top. So to be able to put him at the bottom, I think it’s going to be a good strategy for me if I can do that.”

Chen congratulates Ruotolo before Bangkok match

Modest and gentle, Jozef Chen has nothing but praise for Tye Ruotolo ahead of ONE Fight Night 23.

Even though the American is only 21, Chen remembers looking up to him during his early years in BJJ:

“Tye is certainly one of the most exciting and accomplished grapplers in the sport.

“So especially for me, outside of his quality and the level he’s at, I think one of the things that makes it exciting for me is I’ve been watching him since I was a yellow-orange belt. So to be able to compete against him is a really cool experience.”

The South African doesn't talk much about his meteoric rise to the highest levels of grappling, but it is an unprecedented feat nonetheless.

When pushed, Chen admits that his rise to the world stage and the fact that he's now up against a pound-for-pound great is something remarkable:

“I’m really proud to be able to compete at this level at this point. I think it’s really cool, because, in general, for me, jiu-jitsu, I want to have really good jiu-jitsu. Competing is more secondary to my jiu-jitsu. Being able to compete and show my jiu-jitsu, that’s what really makes me happy.

“It’s really cool to be able to compete with someone you’ve looked up to for so long.”

Yet Chen won't be dazzled when he finally shares the ring with Ruotolo.

After all, he is quick to point out that he has spent the last two years training and competing with other top stars:

“It’s not the first time. You know, when I came to the United States two years ago, and after training and competing with so many people that I studied a lot… you know, it was not a new experience for me.”