Messi’s Bodyguard Yassine Cheuko Gets A Street-Side Jiu-Jitsu Lesson From The Ruotolo Twins
There was no mat, no gym, and no warm-up. When Yassine Cheuko met the Ruotolo brothers in Los Angeles, a jiu-jitsu lesson broke out anyway.
Lionel Messi’s well-known bodyguard crossed paths with ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo and his twin, ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo, at an event in the city. Kade showed him a slick grappling move, and Cheuko later posted the video on Instagram, thanking the pair for the lesson.
Cheuko has been at Messi’s side for years. He worked with the football icon at Paris Saint-Germain and followed him to Inter Miami CF, where Messi now captains the club.
According to Tye, the session was completely unplanned. The brothers simply recognized a fellow martial arts enthusiast and decided to share a few techniques on the spot.
“We had Messi’s bodyguard came around in town, and he’s such a cool dude. He’s got some really good energy. You could tell he loves martial arts a lot, so he was down just to go over a bunch of little moves while we were out in public,” Tye said.
The 23-year-old Americans are widely regarded as two of the finest submission grapplers of their generation. Both remain undefeated in ONE, both hold World Titles, and both have crossed into MMA chasing two-sport glory.
Their schedules are about to get much busier. Tye challenges ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Christian Lee for his crown at The Inner Circle 37 on November 6 at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, while Kade meets former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Ok Rae Yoon at ONE Fight Night 50 in December.
Before those high-stakes nights, the brothers enjoyed a lighter moment that showed how much the sport means to them, and to the people they meet along the way. Cheuko’s eagerness clearly made an impression.
Even without proper footing, the bodyguard was ready to put in some work. For Tye, that enthusiasm said everything about his character.
“We didn’t necessarily have a mat underneath our feet, but he was still willing to roll and do some jiu-jitsu, for sure. He’s cool. He’s down. He’s got martial arts in his heart, for sure,” Tye said.
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