"I never want to lose that" - Kade Ruotolo says grappling is still a big part of his game in MMA transition

Though mixed martial arts has taken center stage at this juncture of his career, Kade Ruotolo says jiu-jitsu still and always will be a quintessential part of his craft.

The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion decided to switch things up over the past years after achieving almost everything in the BJJ realm.

He finally earned his debut in the all-encompassing sport at ONE 167 against Blake Cooper, finishing the Hawaiian in the opening stanza inside Impact Arena.

The Atos representative is ready to do the same when he returns on Nov. 8. Kade Ruotolo faces Pakistani athlete Ahmed Mujtaba in a lightweight MMA joust at ONE 169 in Bangkok, Thailand.

While he does enjoy blending his world-class ground game with clinching, striking, and other techniques, the 21-year-old Atos representative says he doesn't want to lose the part of his arsenal that has shaped his career for the better.

During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, he vowed to never abandon 'The Gentle Art' although his primary focus is to climb up the MMA mountain:

"I definitely want to stay training in jiu-jitsu the same way I've always trained. It's my A-game when it comes to my game, right? My go-to. So I never want to lose that - the essence of what I'm known for, [the] best part of me."

Watch his full interview with Ariel Helwani here:

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Kade Ruotolo not underestimating Mujtaba test

As confident as he is to stay perfect on fight night, Kade Ruotolo refuses to get too complacent.

In the same exchange, he offered:

"He's got a solid straight right down the middle and a decent uppercut. He's knocked a couple of people out on the ONE platform. I'm definitely not taking him lightly."

ONE 169 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada for free on Friday, Nov. 8.