“Don't blink” - BJJ legend Tom DeBlass expects Kade Ruotolo to pull off quick submission against Uali Kurzhev

The entire Brazilian jiu-jitsu community the world over will have their eyes glued to Kade Ruotolo at ONE on Prime Video 3, including the legendary Tom DeBlass.

The 40-year-old martial arts veteran has expressed his full support for fellow American Kade Ruotolo, who will attempt to make history in ONE Championship this Friday night following an already historic year. Ruotolo is scheduled to face multi-time judo and sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev at ONE on Prime Video 3: Lineker vs. Andrade. The event will be broadcast live via Prime Video from the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 21.

The bout will be for the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title.

In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, DeBlass picked the 19-year-old phenom to beat the Russian stalwart. He even threw out how he thinks Ruotolo is going to pull it off:

"I pick Kade to win by submission, most likely D'Arce [choke]. He's coming off four submission wins in ADCC and looking unstoppable. Anytime Kade competes, don't blink!"

Kade Ruotolo made his ONE Championship debut this past May at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot, defeating Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki via decision.

Ruotolo also made history just recently when he won gold at this year’s ADCC in Las Vegas. At 19 years of age, Ruotolo became the youngest to ever do it, submitting all four of his opponents. It was an incredible feat when put into perspective that he’s still just a teenager.

If Ruotolo beats Kurzhev, which many expect him to do, he will add the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title to his collection. Of course, it was hardly a surprise that a Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend like Tom DeBlass would show support for a fellow ‘jiujiteiro’, especially one as talented as Ruotolo.

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Kade Ruotolo says his goal is to ‘pass and submit’ no matter the opponent

Whether it’s Uali Kurzhev or it’s MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov standing across from him, Kade Ruotolo’s mindset remains the same. He wants to dominate his opponent, take him to the ground, and tap him out.

In another interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo talked about him and his brother Tye’s mindset heading into competitions, which has ultimately led to their success:

“No matter who it is, if I were to fight [MMA legend] Khabib [Nurmagomedov], my goal is to take him down and submit. You know, pass and submit. It’s always the same for everybody. And the same for my brother. For me, that’s always just been the most realistic situation.”

Kade Ruotolo will have the chance to back up his talk when he steps back into the Circle this Friday night.