Kade Ruotolo keen to put his striking to the test against Ahmed Mujtaba: "Understand what it's like"

Kade Ruotolo is chomping at the bit to resume his expedition in the mixed martial arts realm at ONE 169 on Nov. 8.

After capturing the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title alongside a perfect run in the discipline (6-0) on the global stage, the 21-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard switched his focus to MMA to continue his dream of becoming a complete martial artist.

The Atos representative did his best to impress when he strapped on the four-ounce gloves for the first time against Blake Cooper at ONE 167 this past June.

Looking light on the feet and comfortable in every exchange, Ruotolo stayed one step ahead, outsmarted his Hawaii-based opponent, and submitted him with a picture-perfect rear-naked choke at the 3:20 mark of the contest.

In under two weeks, Kade Ruotolo looks to impress in MMA again in a lightweight duel against ever-dangerous Pakistan standout Ahmed Mujtaba.

Ahead of the tie, the ONE world champion said his goal for this fight remains the same as it was in his MMA debut against Cooper.

He told MMA Junkie:

"I really wanted to just gain that experience in there and understand what it's like to block kicks, block punches...so much different than the jiu-jitsu matches obviously. So I wanted to just gain that experience in there and the same thing with this match."

Watch the full interview here:

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Kade Ruotolo admits he still has plenty to learn in MMA

Though all signs point towards another dominant outing for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion inside the Thai capital on Nov. 8, Kade Ruotolo believes he is far from tapping into his truest potential in MMA.

Kade Ruotolo, in the same interview with MMA Junkie, continued:

"For me and my coaches that's one thing that they're really big on [collecting experience]. They really want me to have as many experiences possible before I really do get the belt. Because, you know, I'm definitely obviously green when it comes up to the MMA world, and there's a lot of variables, a lot of things to learn."

Find out how he fares in his fight against Mujtaba by tuning in to ONE 169, which will be available for free to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.