“It’s really important to have that” - Kade Ruotolo says balance between jiu-jitsu and surfing was a stress reliever

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States is one of the pound-for-pound best grapplers in the world today, but his time isn't dedicated just to jiu-jitsu alone, believe it or not.

The 21-year-old American phenom shares an equal fixation on his other passion growing up -- surfing.

Speaking to veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in a recent guest appearance on The MMA Hour, Ruotolo talked about balancing jiu-jitsu with surfing, and maintaining a healthy social life.

The lightweight titleholder said:

"I pretty much grew up on the pier right there in Huntington Beach. I kind of had my jiu-jitsu clique of friends and then I also had my surfing clique of friends, you know. I think that’s super important for a jiu-jitsu kid, you just can’t be locked in the gym all day. You need to have a different environment to escape from, you know. That was really probably what kept us in jiu-jitsu was the whole surf culture."

Ruotolo added:

"Every time we go train, get our school work, go train, the first thing we do is go straight to the beach. Sometimes first thing in the morning, get that surfing first, then do our jiu-jitsu, then our school. I think it’s really important to have that outside, you know, to kinda pull you away from the stress of jiu-jitsu for sure."

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Kade Ruotolo to defend lightweight belt against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver on September 6th

Kade Ruotolo is set to defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against ONE flyweight submission grappling king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver.

The event broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on the event as it happens.