Kade Ruotolo says he and Tye are ‘mirror images’ of their dad

A quick glance into the life of Kade Ruotolo might lead one to assume that he’s living life to the fullest.

The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion is one of the best grapplers in the world at the tender age of 20. He has already garnered two huge titles to his name – becoming the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling titleholder and making history as the youngest-ever ADCC winner.

While he’s not busy finding a way to craft something new for his jiu-jitsu game, the afro-haired divisional king can be seen riding the waves or skateboarding. However, how he tackles each activity with so much success, much like his career, didn’t happen overnight for Kade and his brother Tye Ruotolo.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Kade spoke about the upbringing that he and his brother had and how it shaped their current lives, heavily influenced by the lifestyle of their father:

“Surfing, jiu-jitsu, skateboarding, it was before we can remember, like 3 years old. It all spirals down from our dad. Our dad, his three main things in life are jiu-jitsu, surfing, and skateboarding. We’re pretty much mirror images of him, clones of him. That’s just what we find the most pleasure in doing.”

At ONE Fight Night 11 on June 9th, Kade Ruotolo will look to defend his world championship for a second time by defeating Tommy Langaker inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Thanks to his dedication to the grappling art from such an early stage of life, Kade’s experience in the sport can be deceiving. While his opponents may have years on him, that doesn’t mean they have more high-level experience than him, thanks to his training at the Atos Gym under the tutelage of Andre Galvao.

North American fans with an Amazon Prime subscription can catch Kade Ruotolo in action at ONE Fight Night 11 on June 9th.