Kade Ruotolo says he will first “listen to coaches” before deciding move to MMA

Kade Ruotolo is chomping at the bit to make his mixed martial arts debut but understands that waiting for the right moment will make all the difference once he straps on the four-ounce gloves.

Ruotolo has spent the last year introducing himself to ONE Championship fans following his impressive promotional debut against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki at ONE 157. Since then, Ruotolo has amassed an undefeated record inside the circle while making history by becoming the promotion’s first ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.

With the BJJ world all but conquered, Kade Ruotolo is eager to make a run at mixed martial arts. However, the 20-year-old submission sensation knows that taking his time, and more importantly, listening to his coaches will ultimately serve him well. He told Jiu-Jitsu Times:

“My heart wants to [compete in MMA], for sure. I definitely want to, more than anything – but I also want to listen to my coaches."

Before he can turn his attention to MMA, Kade Ruotolo will first need to get past an incredibly tough test at ONE Fight Night 11 on June 9 as he defends his title against Norwegian standout Tommy Langaker. Like Ruotolo, Langaker is undefeated inside the circle, scoring back-to-back wins against Renato Canuto and Uali Kurzhev to earn his shot at the gold.

With an incredible 121 career victories to his credit, Tommy Langaker will enter the co-main event clash as the most decorated grappler Ruotolo has ever faced in ONE Championship.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch ONE Fight Night 11 live and for free in US primetime on June 9.