“Get into kill mode” – Kade Ruotolo says his taste in music varies when training BJJ and MMA

Kade Ruotolo's choice of music typically changes depending on whether he's rolling on the mat or throwing hands at the gym.

On Friday, June 7, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will leave his 26 pounds of gold at home, opting to test out his skills in mixed martial arts for the first time ever when he meets American standout Blake Cooper at ONE 167 inside Bangkok's iconic Impact Arena.

Speaking with the promotion about his preparation for an MMA fight compared to a grappling match, Kade Ruotolo revealed that music plays a big role in the process.

“The only times I’ve found myself changing it up is when I’m going in for MMA sparring," Rutolo said. "I’ll put on some rap or whatever, just to hype me up and get into kill mode. But other than that, I’m just going in for jiu-jitsu, it’s mostly just good vibes, and I’m listening to reggae.”

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Kade Ruotolo feeling confident ahead of his MMA debut at ONE 167

Making his promotional debut at ONE 157 in May 2022, Ruotolo immediately became a fan favorite with an impressive win over Japanese MMA standout Shinya Aoki. Five months later, he claimed the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title, defeating Uali Kurzhev via submission in less than five minutes.

He's since added four more wins, including back-to-back victories against Norweigan grappling star Tommy Langaker and a big submission win over Brazil's Francisco Lo at ONE Fight Night 21 in April.

Despite coming out of his comfort zone for the first time in his combat sports career, Ruotolo is feeling undeniably confident, even if he faces a tough test in his first foray into MMA.

I'm pumped for it," Ruotolo told Sportskeeda of his MMA debut. "You know, he's a beast, for sure. The entire Cooper family, you know, they're a family of legends. A lot of respect for them coming out of Hawaii, you know, there's some scrappers out there, for sure. And, you know, I'm extremely confident and excited."

ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.