Kade Ruotolo excited for MMA future but will never leave jiu-jitsu behind

American submission grappling ace Kade Ruotolo has his sights set on venturing into mixed martial arts down the line. However, he has made it known that he will not leave jiu-jitsu completely behind.

Ruotolo made this clear in a recent interview with the MMA Underground, saying that jiu-jitsu will still be very much part of his campaign as a combat sports athlete even if he dives into MMA:

"I'll never give up on jiu-jitsu, and I'll always stay competing in jiu-jitsu in ADCC and things like that, but I just love MMA so much right now."

Check out the interview below:

Apart from being the ONE lightweight submission grappling main man, Kade Ruotolo was also the 2022 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Fighting World Championship winner.

The Atos Jiu-Jitsu stalwart is set to return to ONE action on June 9th at ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video in Bangkok. He will be defending his world title against challenger Tommy Langaker of Norway.

Kade Ruotolo said that while he is committed to his transition to MMA, he is not allowing it to cloud his intention to remain as the top fighter in lightweight submission grappling.

Tommy Langaker, meanwhile, is determined to frustrate the reigning champion and claim the division for his own. He has been undefeated in two fights to date in ONE Championship with no signs of slowing down in his thrust forward.

ONE Fight Night 11 is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.