Kade Ruotolo talks about the impact of Andre Galvao on his career

American phenom Kade Ruotolo is basking in all of the success he has been having in the sport of submission grappling, but admits none of it would have been possible if not for the people guiding him, particularly his mentor Andre Galvao.

The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion continues to sharpen his skills at Atos Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego, California, which is headed by Galvao, who also competes in ONE Championship.

While with Galvao and his team, Kade Ruotolo has won many highly coveted titles in grappling. Apart from the ONE lightweight world title strap, the 20-year-old fighter also bagged the gold in the 77kg division of the 2022 ADCC World Championship.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Kade Ruotolo shared what his relationship is like with Andre Galvao and what kind of impact the Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend has had in his flourishing career.

He said:

“[Andre Galvao] still talks to everyone like the same, you know, and there's a big smile for everyone. So just seeing how everyone always has nice things to say about him and the way he affects other people. You know, I would like to do the same.”

Kade Ruotolo, along with his twin brother Tye, joined ONE last year and is now among the noted faces of submission grappling in the promotion.

He has had three fights to date, which he won all by convincing fashion. The biggest of which was over Russian Uali Kurzhev back in October by submission (heel hook), a result that saw him crowned ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion. The impressive victory also earned him a $50,000 performance bonus.

Kade Ruotolo will return to action on June 9 at ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video against Norwegian challenger Tommy Langaker in a title showdown.

ONE Fight Night 11 will go down at the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. It will be aired live and for free to North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.