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American submission grappling ace Kade Ruotolo has been having a lot of success in competitions of late and he's realized that he has a 'target' on his back.
The 20-year-old from San Diego is now the holder of some of the most coveted world titles in the sport of grappling, making him the focus of many competitors who want to climb the ranks.
In 2022, Kade Ruotolo had a banner campaign. He won the gold in the 77kg division at the ADCC World Championship in September and a month later he became the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.
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The twin feats have made the Atos Jiu-Jitsu protege feel 'hunted' rather than the one hunting.
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Kade Ruotolo shared to ONE Championship in an interview:
“I’m starting to secure some of the most important titles in jiu-jitsu. ONE Championship, ADCC, and so on. Everybody wants those [world] titles. They want to take them from me. So I feel a bit more of the hunted now rather than the hunter.”
Kade Ruotolo joined ONE last year, along with his twin brother Tye, and has been undefeated in three fights to date.
In his debut in May 2022, he defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki by unanimous decision.
In his second bout in October, he impressively won the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title by forcing Russian Uali Kurzhev to submit with a wicked heel hook midway into their 10-minute match. On top of winning the title, he also earned a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong.
Kade Ruotolo put his world title on the line for the first time back in December and made a successful defense, beating Brazilian Matheus Gabriel by unanimous decision.
The reigning champion is now gearing up for his second world title defense on June 9 at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video. He will be challenged by Tommy Langaker of Norway in the co-headlining bout happening at the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.
ONE Fight Night 11 is the sixth Amazon show of ONE this year and is available live and for free for North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.
