Kade Ruotolo says 2025 will be all about plotting his path to lightweight MMA crown: "That's the goal"

Kade Ruotolo's target for this year has been set: get closer to the ONE lightweight MMA world title.

The current undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling king revealed this during his recent catch-up with The Bangkok Post ahead of his lightweight MMA battle with Nicolas Vigna on Feb. 20 as part of the ONE 171: Qatar card inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

According to Kade Ruotolo, he is not certain if a shot for the MMA gold is possible for him this year, but regardless of the timeline, the goal remains the same as he stated:

"Absolutely. That's the goal, you know. As far as when, it'll probably...I don't know if it'll be this year, we'll see, but it might end up being next year."

Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview here:

After leaving a path of destruction in the submission grappling with an immaculate record of 6-0 on the global stage, the 22-year-old star has transitioned to mixed martial arts and quickly racked up two victories.

Ruotolo scored first-round submission wins over Blake Cooper at ONE 167 and Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE 169.

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Kade Ruotolo reveals his mentality ahead of MMA clash with Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171: Qatar

The Atos-affiliated athlete says that he always favor himself to get the win in every match that he is competing in because it boosts his confidence.

Kade Ruotolo talked about this during his interview with The Bangkok Post, where he explained:

"I think, in my own mind, I always consider myself a favorite. You gotta be right? From a confidence standpoint. So yeah, internally for me, I think I'm the favorite coming into it. On the outside perspective, that could be varied. He's got more MMA experience, I've got more of the grappling experience. So..yeah, I think safe to say [I'm the favorite]."

Fans can watch all the action at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 via watch.onefc.com. The event will take place inside the Lusail Sports Arena.