Kade Ruotolo just upped his arsenal ahead of his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut.
The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will face American standout Blake Cooper at ONE 167 on June 7 at Impact Arena.
Ahead of his MMA debut in Bangkok, Ruotolo revealed that he recently received his red pra jiad under the tutelage of Tyler Wombles at Classic Fight Team in California.
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Kade Ruotolo, through his joint Instagram account with twin brother Tye, posted:
"After a training session tonight, I was promoted under Classic Fight Team's striking system with coach Tyler Wombles! Super thankful and so stoked about the progression. 🥊🔥 @classicfightteam."
For the uninitiated, the pra jiad is the band that Muay Thai fighters wear on their arms before and during matches to symbolize the militaristic and heroic history of the sport.
While Thai gyms and schools don't have a ranking system for their students, gyms in the United States adopted the use of a colored progression structure akin to other martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or Judo.
Kade, though, isn't new to Muay Thai and striking.
The American BJJ phenom trained with ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon whenever he figures in a card in Thailand.
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Kade Ruotolo eyes an early finish against Blake Cooper
Kade Ruotolo has always been one of the most exciting fighters in submission grappling, and he plans to bring that level of intensity when he makes his transition to MMA.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo said he wants nothing more than to make an emphatic entry into his new sport.
The 21-year-old said he's hellbent on securing an early finish against Cooper in Bangkok.
He said:
"I want to give a show. I want to have fun out there. Obviously, I want to get the finish, and I truly believe that I will get that finish."