Ruotolo points out that he has not exactly been an overnight success, as he was already an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championship winner when he signed for ONE Championship.

“I’m happy with where I’m at but it’s been a lifetime of hard work and dedication. I’m really stoked and grateful.”

While Michell recently switched camps to train with John Danaher, Ruotolo has had plenty of time to study the Australian.

“His style of jiu-jitsu intrigues me I know he likes to fight hard. He’s aggressive, I like it when people are aggressive it brings a deeper beast out of me.”

Ruotolo’s twin brother, Kade, is also competing on this card. Both are based in San Diego, where they train at the renowned Atos camp under BJJ legend Andre Galvao.

Danaher’s team was previously called the Danaher Death Squad (DDS) although it has recently been rebranded as New Wave. Ruotolo is aware of the historical rivalry between the two camps, though he says it has diminished in recent years.

“When the leg locks first started coming into no-gi jiu-jitsu, the rivalry was at its biggest. Atos had been dominating no-gi for a long time but when DDS came in with their leg locks it caught a lot of us off guard. [But] I think the past couple of years the rivalry just doesn’t seem to be quite as intense.”

While Ruotolo has not fought since November, he was at ONE 165 earlier this year to corner for his brother. The last-minute withdrawal of Sage Northcutt caused chaos at that event in Tokyo and the two siblings were right at the heart of it.

Kade Ruotolo wanted to replace Northcutt and make his MMA debut against seasoned veteran Shinya Aoki. His brother thought that fight was actually going to happen and they even started preparing backstage.

“I’m there to support my brother no matter what. I was hoping that Sage was gonna be there but some things ended up happening and he didn’t want to fight so we were shadow boxing, I had my hands up and he was throwing one-twos. Obviously the prep for an MMA match is way different, but I was all for it.”

In the end, ONE Championship’s decision makers decided that Kade Ruotolo, who was already booked for a submission grappling match on the card, could not compete twice in one night. Instead, John Lineker was plucked from the audience to face Aoki.

For Tye Ruotolo, moments like that encapsulate the appeal of ONE Championship. Fighters, like his brother, are willing to switch codes and matchmakers will do “whatever it takes” to ensure the audience is entertained.

“ONE is so good at taking martial artists and creating such a good show. They’re down to do whatever it takes to make the show go on.”

When the Ruotolo brothers are not training jiu-jitsu, they love to surf. Both were born in Hawaii, brought up in California and spend time in Costa Rica – three destinations renowned for their beaches and waves.

Michell, too, is a surfer. The two men are set to lock horns inside the Lumpinee Stadium ring but Ruotolo admits they have plenty in common.

“He’s got a cool lifestyle, I’ve seen him in Australia surfing and we like a lot of the same things.”

Ruotolo might be at the pinnacle of the jiu-jitsu world but Michell is looking to push him off the podium. The Australian has won his past six matches and has had plenty of time to prepare for this fight, which has already been postponed once – the bout was originally booked for ONE 166 last month.

Ruotolo is hoping for an action-packed encounter on Saturday, and acknowledges that Michell is the most difficult opponent he has faced in his ONE Championship career.

“I love fighting the biggest, best guys. I’m stoked for this one.”