Kade Ruotolo says it’s ‘a great responsibility’ to put submission grappling on the martial arts map

Kade Ruotolo and his brother Tye are right at the forefront of submission grappling.

The twin brothers have grown from strength to strength in recent years, seeing a steady climb in their popularity thanks to ONE’s world-class submission grappling roster and the opportunities they get to build their brand on a global platform.

Thanks to ONE featuring high-level matchups on huge events and adding exciting names like the Ruotolo brothers to the ONE family, the sport has definitely grown in bigger and better ways.

As the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, Kade doesn’t feel any extra pressure to help put grappling competitions on the map but he is grateful for being given the responsibility to be a torch bearer for the submission-only discipline.

In an interview with the promotion, Kade Ruotolo spoke about being in this position at such an early stage of his career:

“Grappling feels amazing. You know, I feel like a great responsibility for sure. But, you know, I'm super glad that my brother and I, you know, are able to do so and then kind of carry that flag.”

Kade will look to continue putting submission grappling on the map when he defends his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 11.

North American fans with an Amazon Prime Video subscription can tune in to ONE Fight Night 11, live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 9.