“I think it’s just 16 years of preparation” - Kade Ruotolo says a life of hard work has led him to this moment

The match may have lasted just mere minutes, but Kade Ruotolo’s journey to ONE Championship gold was the product of more than 16 years of hard work and dedication.

Ruotolo became the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion when he submitted Uali Kurzhev at ONE on Prime Video 3 this past weekend at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.

During his post-match interview with Mitch Chilson, Ruotolo said that his world title triumph was the culmination of nearly his life’s work on the mats.

The 19-year-old even collected the 77-kilogram world title in the 2022 ADCC World Championship a month before making ONE Championship history. Kade Ruotolo said:

“I think it’s just 16 years of preparation man, my entire life. I’ve been doing this since I could remember. I was born on these mats, so it was just a matter of time before the results started paying off.”

The match between Ruotolo and Kurzhev was tabbed as another chapter in the ongoing rivalry between Brazilian jiu-jitsu and sambo. This time around, it was BJJ that got the advantage.

Kurzhev, too, is a great representative of his sport being a four-time sambo world champion. The 33-year-old was also quick in imposing his aggressive style to the match when he tried to wrestle Ruotolo to the ground.

In the end, it was Ruotolo’s creativity that overpowered Kurzhev.

Ruotolo transitioned from a leg lock position and grabbed hold of Kurzhev’s foot for a painful heel hook that ended the bout.

---

Kade Ruotolo takes twin brother Tye’s challenge

Kade Ruotolo didn’t need to look far for his biggest challenger. Before he took on Uali Kurzhev at ONE on Prime Video 3, Ruotolo had his twin brother Tye put immense pressure on him.

Ruotolo, in an interview with ONE Championship, said that Tye put him in an essentially do-or-die situation.

The brothers are two of the brightest Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars of their generation and they both know just how important Ruotolo’s match against Kurzhev was. BJJ and sambo are still in a rivalry and Tye made sure that his brother would put their discipline on top.

“The biggest source of so-called pressure [is]- holding it down for jiu-jitsu [vs. Sambo]. That’s the first thing my brother said when I signed this contract: ‘Sambo vs. jiu-jitsu, you gotta hold it down.’"