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Even ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo agrees that wrestling is one of the hardest and most physically demanding sports there is. While the 21-year-old savant comes from a Brazilian jiu-jitsu background, a lot of his success on the mats can also be attributed to his underrated understanding of offensive and defensive wrestling.
On June 7, Ruotolo will venture into new horizons when he laces up the four-ounce gloves for the first time at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video.
The Atos standout believes his wrestling will come in handy in his lightweight MMA showdown with Blake Cooper at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo gave sage advice for his fellow BJJ specialists who are looking to make that mixed martial arts transition, saying:
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"If you're a jiu-jitsu guy, and you don't have good wrestling, and you're planning on fighting MMA, you better hop into a high school wrestling class, whatever wrestling class you can get in, and start wrestling."
Kade, along with his fellow ONE world champion brother Tye, certainly dictate where their matches go thanks to their incredible wrestling.
That insane pressure and control, paired with their smorgasbord of submissions from every position makes them the deadliest grapplers on the planet right now.
We'll soon see if Kade Ruotolo's BJJ and wrestling wizardry will power him to another victory at ONE 167.
Kade Ruotolo says fans shouldn't sleep on his striking in MMA debut
In a quest to become a complete martial artist, Kade Ruotolo has continued sharpening his punches and kicks behind closed doors.
The youngest ADCC world champion can't wait to show the fruit of his labor at ONE 167, which will air free, live in US primetime for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
While Ruotolo will always go for the submission if the opportunity presents itself, he's also not ruling out a knockout or TKO finish.
He told Karyn Bryant in a recent interview:
"Choking people out, armbars, and all that stuff's great. But there's something about when a punch sinks to the liver and you drop someone with the body shot or something like that. It just feels a little bit better."
Watch the full interview, here:
