“I'm definitely green when it comes to MMA” - Kade Ruotolo admits he still has a lot to learn after successful MMA debut

Kade Ruotolo may have made a successful mixed martial arts debut, but the BJJ specialist knows he still has a lot of work to do.

Last June, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion made his MMA premiere in Bangkok, securing a first-round finish against Blake Cooper at ONE 167.

On Friday, Nov. 8, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu star will attempt to go 2-0 in the sport when he meets Pakistani MMA champion Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE 169 inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

As impressive as he looked in his first outing in four-ounce gloves, Ruotolo recognizes there is much work to be done before he can truly call himself a mixed martial artist. In a conversation with MMA Junkie, Ruotolo said:

"For me and my coaches that's one thing that they're really big on. They really want me to have as many experiences possible before I really do get the belt. Because, you know, I'm definitely obviously green when it comes up to the MMA world and there's a lot of variables, a lot of things to learn."

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Kade Ruotolo plans to test out his striking against Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE 169

Kade Ruotolo will face a tough test at ONE 169 when he meets a 14-fight veteran who has already secured four wins on martial arts' biggest global stage.

Ahmed Mujtaba made his promotional debut in 2016, scoring a unanimous decision win over Benedict Ang. Since then, 'Wolverine' has defeated Li Kai Wen and scored back-to-back finishes against Rahul Raju and Abraao Amorim.

However, as impressive as Mujtaba has looked in his run with ONE, Ruotolo doesn't plan to shy away from standing and trading with the man from Pakistan. He said:

"I'm definitely not going to look to just grapple him right away, you know. I don't want it to feel like a jiu-jitsu match."

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.