Men's Fitness Online

By Daniel Meehan

Izaak Michell is not your typical submission grappler.

Ahead of his massive ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title showdown with reigning champion Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 21 on April 6, the Australian BJJ standout has been reflecting on his journey to the sport’s peak.

While most Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners cut their teeth under the tutelage of one professor, Izaak Michell has taken a more nomadic approach to his education in the gentle art.

Like many kids growing up in Adelaide, South Australia, the 25-year-old loved Aussie rules football and gained a reputation as a tough, in-and-under midfielder who was not averse to a scuffle.

It seemed that Michell, who began his jiu-jitsu training at 16 to channel his physical nature, was being called into the world of competitive fighting.

His free spirit and love of travel soon led him abroad, where he sounded out some of the best minds in his sport, such as Lloyd Irvin, Renzo Gracie, and John Danaher.

“I was doing jiu-jitsu a lot and then when I was about 18. I started to travel a lot. I enjoyed travelling a lot and I enjoyed jiu-jitsu, so those two go hand in hand as well,” he said.

“I was travelling for jiu-jitsu, going over to do the World Championships in America, and going to gyms before that for a month here and a month there. It eventually led me on this journey around the world. I’ve lived in four or five different countries, just training and competing and joining gyms and that sort of thing.

“That was an eye-opening thing travelling overseas, joining a big team like [Team Lloyd Irvin] and experiencing that for the first time. I bought a van in Canada with a mate and drove it to Costa Rica for a few months after that initial jiu-jitsu journey. That was just a bit of a surf trip. But along the way, you get to experience a little jiu-jitsu and go to different gyms. That whole lifestyle was a really fun way to win and a fun way to spend my days.”

Michell has spent much of the past few years in Austin, Texas, where Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners relocated to during the pandemic.

Basing himself in the United States for longer periods has allowed him to partake in the country’s ultra-competitive grappling circuit. There, Izaak Michell elevated his skills and went on a meteoric rise, which saw him bag a slew of statement wins and an IBJJF No-Gi World Championship as a brown belt.

“The past three years I’ve been living in Austin, Texas. That became the jiu-jitsu hub of the world, pretty much with many major schools moving to Texas. I think it was mainly because COVID was preventing people from training in the states like New York and California,” he said.

“That was a really good opportunity to do a lot of competitions and get my name up there, climb the rankings, and things like that. So, I’ve come a fair way from Adelaide, South Australia, to living in America and now ranked number two globally at 185 pounds. So I’m pretty grateful and happy for this unfolding journey.”

Michell pinpoints his ability to stay calm and present in the ring as the key to his success.

The same principles apply to his life outside of competition, where he refuses to be swept up in the pressures of being an elite-level athlete.

“I compare jiu-jitsu on the mats and jiu-jitsu off the mats. I see that coming alive all the time in my life, especially in the journey that I’m on. And, you know, you can stay calm, present, ready [in] life and just general everyday living. Then you can do the same thing on the mats and vice versa. So, they do go hand in hand,” he said.

“I think a big part of it is jiu-jitsu, in a way, you have this addiction to it, and you’re obsessed with it. But it’s also about realising the absolutes, resting in the absolutes of life, and realising it’s not everything.”

Submission grappling is a demanding sport in which combatants fight on the ground to manipulate their opponents’ limbs or sink in a choke that forces them to concede defeat.

With the dire physical consequences of his trade always looming, Michell credits his lifelong passion for surfing and skateboarding with helping him stay grounded.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said.

“You could break your leg and not be able to do professional sports again, but you can still choose to be happy in that next chapter. So, I think I definitely rest in the absolutes and enjoy the other things in life, relationships, and the things that I like doing, like surfing and going out and skateboarding. So, that helps me deal with the pressure of these big events as well.”

What stands in front of Michell at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, is a huge opportunity against a grappler who has dominated the global stage since he and his twin brother, Kade, landed on the ONE Championship roster in 2022.

Ruotolo has remained unbeaten since then, and the 21-year-old American phenom will be the toughest test of the Aussie’s career to date.

“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.”

If he’s successful, Michell would be just the second Australian to take come to a coveted ONE World Title.

Even just the suggestion of becoming the first ONE World Champion to come from “Down Under” since Martin Nguyen’s historic reign ended in 2020 brings just a flicker of fire into the measured and ultra-laid-back fighter’s eyes.

“Man, this would mean everything,” he said.

“It’s definitely perfect timing with the alignment of where I’m at on my journey. I think it’s going to really set me up for my future and be a huge thing. It’s going to change my life. It’s a huge opportunity, and I really can’t wait.”