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American grappling ace Kade Ruotolo is looking forward to his next MMA match after making a successful debut in the multifaceted sport last weekend.
The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion impressed with a first-round submission (rear-naked choke) victory over Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
During the post-event press conference for ONE 167, Kade Ruotolo shared his excitement and willingness to take on another MMA contest next while also open to the next challenge as submission grappling world champion.
The 21-year-old Atos standout said:
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"Personally, I want to do another MMA match. But whatever challenge is coming next, you know I'm ready."
In his MMA debut at ONE 167, Kade Ruotolo was steady, first testing his striking skills with solid kicks to Cooper. He eventually found his way in his alley of BJJ when he was able to to take down his opponent to the canvas, where he worked on employing a rear-naked choke for the win in the opening round.
The victory earned him another $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Ruotolo is slated to defend his lightweight submission grappling world title in September in the United States against flyweight king Mikey Musumeci.
Kade Ruotolo says MMA transition was a natural progression
Kade Ruotolo considers himself as a true combat sports student and his transition to competing in MMA as well is an offshot of that.
The American grappling ace made it a winning MMA debut at ONE 167 on June 7 in Thailand after fashioning out a first-round submission victory over opponent Blake Cooper.
In an interview with ONE Championship ahead of his MMA debut, Ruotolo shared how his passion for competition keeps him going and continuously challenges him to expand his horizons, saying:
"I love fighting. In the most honest way possible. I don't know why I love it. There's something about it."
The victory at ONE 167 kept Ruotolo's record unblemished at 7-0 since making his promotional debut in October 2022. His last three victories all took place this year.
