Kade Ruotolo confident he's equipped with the necessary tools to scale up the MMA mountain: "That's really my goal now" 

Kade Ruotolo says he's more than equipped to climb the MMA mountain just as he did in submission grappling.

The 21-year-old sensation is setting up major goals this year that could expand his career on a larger scale. Since Kade joined the MMA ranks this past July, he's been eager to continue testing his skills against established veterans of the sport.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani recently on The MMA Hour, Kade explained in further detail, how far he's willing to go in terms of his future career in MMA.

"So that's really my goal now [to climb the MMA mountain.] I feel like I've climbed to the top of the mountain of jiu-jitsu and I've been holding it down right there, and I feel like MMA is a whole separate mountain to climb but I know I have the capabilities and the abilities to do so and that's what I want to do."

Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview below:

With Kade Ruotolo fixed on mixed martial arts, he temporarily leaves the lightweight submission grappling division in limbo. Not that that's a bad thing, it's been difficult to find him a challenger that could make another world title defense worthwhile. At the moment, the BJJ dynamo has the potential to make a name for himself in the MMA world, but it starts with one fight at a time.

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Kade Ruotolo to fight experienced MMA veteran Ahmed Mujtaba for his second MMA fight

Kade Ruotolo is ultra excited to get back into the ring on Friday, Nov. 8.

Just like he wished, the BJJ black belt will have another opportunity to demonstrate that he's capable of stringing together a series of strikes and combinations, to make this fight with Ahmed Mujtaba, an incredibly exciting brawl.

ONE 169 airs live in Canada and the United States via Prime Video.