“People really tend to be very preventative” - Kade Ruotolo says opponents become overly defensive against him and his brother

At the age of just 19, Tye and Kade Ruotolo are already intimidating grapplers for any opponent. Inside the ONE Championship circle, competitors fold due to how incredibly skilled the twin Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigies are.

After defending his ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship at ONE on Prime Video 5, Kade Ruotolo spoke to the media and explained how much other grapplers struggle against him and his sibling:

"I was really trying everything I could. People really tend to be very preventative against us, they don't like to go for under hooks, they don't like to wrestle up; things like that. Because they know our chokes and know that they are bigger threats."

Watch the full press conference below:

In the co-main event of ONE on Prime Video 5, Kade rolled against multi-time IBJJF world champion Matheus Gabriel. The grappling phenom successfully defended his throne in a manner that only he does.

In the ONE circle in 2022, he defeated Uali Kurzhev, Shinya Aoki, and now, Gabriel. The grappling prodigy also captured the ADCC world title, breaking the record for the youngest to ever earn the prestigious championship.

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Kade Ruotolo on his attitude

With such stunning success in the grappling arts, Kade Ruotolo discussed what sets him and his brother Tye apart when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It's his very straightforward attitude.

In an interview with ONE, Kade explained:

“No matter who it is, if I were to fight [MMA legend] Khabib [Nurmagomedov], my goal is to take him down and submit. You know, pass and submit. It’s always the same for everybody. And the same for my brother. For me, that’s always just been the most realistic situation.”

Tye and Kade were trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by submission grappling legend Andre Galvao. Tye and Kade have captured numerous $50,000 performance bonuses in ONE Championship over their tenure in 2022.

The 19-year-old twin brothers say they are putting all their winnings towards building a jiu-jitsu gym in Costa Rica. After capturing a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE, Kade declared:

"We’re building a gym out in Costa Rica right now, and we’re kind of putting everything we’ve got into it and that literally just finished it. I’m at a loss for words, thank you so much Chatri and everyone behind ONE. I’m so stoked, I’m so stoked, beyond thankful."

Catch Kade's post-fight interview below: