Kade Ruotolo plans to have a ‘strategic’ and ‘smart’ approach to transitioning to MMA

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is dead-set on venturing into mixed martial arts but is being smart and strategic in going about it.

The Atos Jiu-Jitsu standout shared this in an interview with the South China Morning Post ahead of his most recent outing at ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video on June 9 in Bangkok, saying:

“For me, I'm so antsy I've been wanting to do it every day. But everyone, my coaches, my team behind me is telling me to be strategic, do it smart, and wait a little bit longer. I think, for sure by the end of the year, we'll have that debut.”

Kade Ruotolo and his twin brother Tye have been vocal of their desire to also compete under MMA rules, part of their push, they said, to continue to grow as fighters and to challenge themselves.

They have been sharpening their MMA skills with a lot of help and guidance from their Atos team in San Diego. The twins are confident that they are making progress in their preparation and cannot wait to plunge into MMA action in the very near future.

But as he is gearing up for his MMA transition, Kade Ruotolo is not remiss on his campaign as a champion ONE submission grappler.

At ONE Fight Night 11, which was played at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, he kept the status quo in the division with him on top by successfully defending his world title against Norwegian challenger Tommy Langaker.

While given a hard time, Kade Ruotolo secured a hard-earned victory over Tommy Langaker with his relentless attacking and positioning.

It was his second triumphant defense of the title he won last October and his fourth straight victory in ONE Championship in as many fights.

Replay of what went down at ONE Fight Night 11 is available for free on Amazon Prime in North America.