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Kade Ruotolo has always admired Nate Diaz for marching to the beat of his own drum and doing things his way.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion is not just a fan of Diaz's fighting skills, but also his unapologetic demeanor in and out of the cage.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ruotolo said he wants to use the Stockton, California bad boy's blueprint when it comes to his burgeoning mixed martial arts career.
"For me, like one of my favorite guys who just left an unreal legacy was Nate Diaz, always. I just love the way he fought. How many top 10 guys he’s fought and put on performance of the night?"
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The youngest ADCC world champion continued:
"I was just really thinking about a legacy standpoint what I want to be known for and for me I want to be known for not just being a jiu-jitsu guy, but being one of the best martial artists of all time."
It's not hard to see the similarities between Kade Ruotolo and his idol Nate Diaz.
These two lanky warriors share the same inner fire, with an incredible BJJ game to back it up. The 21-year-old phenom's striking game is also coming along nicely, which we'll see again this coming Friday.
Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview with Ariel Helwani:
Kade Ruotolo reveals hip injury that kept him sidelined
After his monumental takeover at the Craig Jones Invitational last August, Kade Ruotolo had to take it easy after suffering a torn labrum in both of his hips. The Atos standout said in the same interview:
"Dealing with the labrum [issue], trying to keep it on the low but it's pretty much out there now. So yeah, I got a torn labrum in each hip, but you know I fought that last competition on it. It doesn't feel good but you got to do what you got to do."
Now back to 100 percent, Ruotolo's long-awaited MMA return is finally here, as he takes on Ahmed 'Wolverine' Mujtaba at ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug, live in US Primetime on Nov. 8 from Bangkok's Lumpinee, Stadium.
This loaded event is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
