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Kade Ruotolo just added yet another glowing accomplishment to his incredible resume. The undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion came out on top of a stacked 16-man bracket in the under-80kg division of the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) over the weekend.
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Ruotolo got the ball rolling by submitting Matheus Diniz with a modified heel hook (Aoki lock) in his opening match. This set him up in a quarterfinal tiff with familiar foe Tommy Langaker, whom he already beat twice under the ONE banner.
The youngest ADCC champ reasserted his mastery over the Norwegian and dominated him for three rounds.
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Kade Ruotolo moved on to Day 2 of the event and met one of the most electrifying stars in the BJJ circuit, Andrew Tackett, in the semis.
As advertised, these two dynamic athletes threw everything but the kitchen sink for three rounds of non-stop action and produced arguably one of the best grappling matches of the year.
Ruotolo's strong finish and multiple submission attempts in the final round, though, awarded him the unanimous decision win and a spot in the finale.
It was a little bit personal for Ruotolo since he faced Levi Jones-Leary, the same man who eliminated his twin brother Tye on Day 1. The Australian's strong leg-lock game and epic guard retention gave Ruotolo problems early on.
However, the 21-year-old ONE superstar adjusted magnificently in the championship rounds. His relentless tenacity from the top position and overall control scored big in the judges' scorecards.
Here's Kade Ruotolo's history-making moment:
Kade Ruotolo gears up for another massive super fight against Mikey Musumeci
Kade Ruotolo certainly has all the momentum in the world when he returns to the home of martial arts next month.
The 21-year-old prodigy will defend his lightweight submission grappling crown against fellow BJJ megastar and reigning flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci.
This epic clash of two elite maestros will go down at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 inside Ball Arena.
Tickets for this blockbuster event are available via Ticketmaster
