Kade Ruotolo is no ordinary MMA fighter making his pro debut at ONE 167. The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion enters the sport as a true specialist who has been working hard to round off his skills.
From a very young age, both Kade and his brother, Tye, were training in jiu-jitsu thanks to their father who was also a student of the grappling arts. This means that at just 21 years old, Kade is a young veteran in the sport with a lifetime of competing already in his back pocket.
In a recent interview on the Talk-Jitsu Podcast, he spoke about how alongside his brother, he was the start of a new generation in jiu-jitsu:
"My brother and I, we were at least one of the first generation of kids to start training from being potty-trained. At the time, there was like one jiu-jitsu gym in our area, in the entire Huntington Beach. Probably even a handful of gyms in all of California, at that time."
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Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview below:
Kade Ruotolo is always looking to challenge himself
To pair with his training from a young age, Kade Ruotolo is a competitor at heart and is always looking for the next big challenge.
He is well aware of the dangers that await him in pursuing a career in MMA, but that's exactly what motivates the grappling phenom.
This new chapter of his career begins against Blake Cooper at Impact Arena on June 7 as he looks to prove that he is one of the best grapplers on the planet.
Given the success that he has been able to achieve in submission grappling, you'd be unwise to count him and his brother out on anything that they set their minds to.
ONE 167 will air live in US Primetime on June 7 and is free to watch for North American viewers with an existing Prime Video subscription.