"He's up there proud of me" - Kade Ruotolo dedicates incredible MMA debut win to late grandfather

Following his MMA debut this past weekend at ONE 167, Kade Ruotolo took the moment to speak on something that has been on his mind lately.

The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion simply doesn't need to crossover into MMA.

It presents far more dangers than submission grappling, where he has already achieved great things and set himself up for the future.

However, the challenge is what motivates Kade, and he passed his first test against Blake Cooper in impressive fashion.

During his post-fight interview inside the Circle, he spoke about a highly influential figure in his life who sadly couldn't be there to watch on:

"I dedicate this performance to my Grandpa Lloyd. One of my absolute heroes growing up. We used to watch MMA fights every weekend at his house. He's no longer with us, he's in the sky. He would tell me as a kid, however much money they pay you to fight MMA, I'll pay you the same amount to not do it. He couldn't bear the thought of me getting hit in the face. But I know for sure, he's up there proud of me. If he had seen the work I was putting in, he's be in the front row watching as well."

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Kade Ruotolo knows what he's getting himself into

Whilst his grandfather warned him about competing in MMA, Kade Ruotolo is well aware of the dangers of going down this career path.

He is well aware that he doesn't need to do it but the elite grappler isn't motivated by money in this pursuit.

Kade has a passion for it, and that speaks much louder to him than any kind of financial reward.

If his grandfather was indeed watching him this past weekend, he surely would have had a smile on his face after Kade took little to no damage before getting the win.

ONE 167 is available to watch back in full for free via Prime Video for US and Canadian fans with an active subscription.