“The panic in his eyes” - Kade Ruotolo shows Matheus Gabriel the levels of his phenomenal BJJ game

At ONE on Prime Video 5 late last year, reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion and youngest ADCC gold medalist Kade Ruotolo successfully defended his belt against Matheus Gabriel. The then-19-year-old BJJ phenom beat the ultra-tough Gabriel via a unanimous decision to defend his belt for the first time.

Kade Ruotolo was on his signature rapid-fire attack from the get-go, opening up with his full arsenal of submissions while exhibiting lockdown defensive skills.

ONE Championship posted a video highlight of the match on Instagram:

Fans are reacting to the video in various ways in the comments section:

Comments on the video

@_______miss.mi felt what Gabriel may have felt when Kade Ruotolo went for his heel-hook attack:

"The panic in his eyessssssss"

@exotic_parallel_universe had the perfect commentary on the shift of momentum:

"😂 His face changed quick."

@s_pcarvalho had a new nickname for Ruotolo:

"Destroyer of the knees 😢"

@joaotexxd said something similar:

"Bruh 🤦‍♂️ grabing his heel and applying the same force with the leg? 🤔🙄 Good luck 👍"

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Kade Ruotolo's twin brother, Tye, teases a massive brother vs. brother superfight

ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion and youngest IBJJF gold medalist Tye Ruotolo recently spoke about a potential dream match between him and his twin, Kade. A match with his brother and fellow world champion Kade will surely be one for the books.

We don't see a lot of siblings in combat sports become world champions at the time, let alone twins. What is more rare is for them to actually face each other in competition.

Interestingly, Kade and Tye Ruotolo have locked horns with each other before, most notably in the 2021 IBJJF World Championships finals bracket. The two fought in the brown belt division, with Tye overcoming adversity and coming back late with an armbar win.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Tye Ruotolo said:

"Technically I’m 3-0 against Kade [Ruotolo]. They were all wars. I know he wants one back. So, we’re open to that match."

In their 2021 IBJJF Worlds Finals match, Kade saw on a huge lead over his brother with two points to none (with 6 advantages to 1). In the final two minutes, however, Tye reversed the position and caught his brother with an armbar for the win.