Kade Ruotolo admits 'there were a lot more nerves' for recent MMA bout

Kade Ruotolo has never once claimed that his transition into mixed martial arts would be an easy challenge for him to undertake.

During his career at the very top of the submission grappling world, he has proven his willingness to seek out the biggest possible threats.

This huge obstacle is exactly what gets him so excited to try and become an elite level competitor in MMA.

At ONE 167 earlier this year, Kade made his pro debut when he submitted Blake Cooper in the first round at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Before he returns at ONE 169 for his second bout, he reflected on the experience in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

He revealed that the research he did on his former opponent was just one example of him willingly walking into unknown territory for that fight:

"I've seen a clip or two of my previous competitor. I was studying a lot more. I think there were a lot more nerves back then and, you know, it was my first MMA fight of course."

Watch the full interview below:

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Kade Ruotolo is ready to test himself once again

With the debut win under his belt, Kade Ruotolo now looks to build on that when he returns to Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, next Friday, November 8.

The submission specialist will face off with Ahmed Mujtaba as he looks to make it back-to-back wins in the lightweight MMA division.

This time around, Kade Ruotolo is far more focused on accumulating more experience at this stage in his career to continue progressing.

Rather than taking more time to work in the gym and improve step-by-step, he's once again diving straight into the fire by putting what he has learned to the test against a dangerous opponent.

That's how Kade and his brother Tye have always done things, and that's not going to change any time soon.