“That’s always the goal” - Kade Ruotolo eyes MMA gold, vows to capture champ-champ status in ONE Championship

Kade Ruotolo could join ONE Championship's esteemed pantheon of double world champions.

The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion has begun his journey into mixed martial arts, and he told Ariel Helwani that the ultimate goal is to hoist two world titles on his shoulders.

In an interview with Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ruotolo said he wants to become one of the best MMA fighters on the planet while maintaining his status as one of the greatest BJJ artists of his generation.

Although he admitted that it could be a long shot, it's a goal that he always set his sights on.

Kade Ruotolo said:

"I want to become the best [at MMA]. I want to become the champion. In everything I do, I have this delusion where I want to become the best at it, so that's always the goal."

Ruotolo is a perfect 6-0 in his submission grappling matches in ONE Championship, and he ultimately made his move to MMA at ONE 167 earlier this month against Blake Cooper in Bangkok.

Despite his glaring advantage on the ground, Ruotolo decided he would trade shots with Cooper on the feet at the start of the match.

Cooper eventually found himself in a compromising position later in the match and ultimately succumbed to a rear-naked choke 3:20 into the opening round.

Ruotolo will return to submission grappling when he defends his throne against Mikey Musumeci, the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.

See the interview below:

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Kade Ruotolo reveals the difference between him and twin brother Tye

Kade Ruotolo and his twin brother Tye have always been connected to the hip throughout their careers. Both are multi-time BJJ world champions and have a world title in ONE Championship.

Kade is the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, while Tye is the ONE welterweight submission world champion.

As identical as they are, Kade said in an interview with the promotion that there is one thing that is different between them:

"I'm just like my dad. I'm old school, I'm just like, 'I'm not hurt, I'm fine.' I just try to keep a 'You know, I'm fine, it hurts but it doesn't hurt' mentality. Because I know in the match, adrenaline usually takes the pain away. I'm always kind of neglecting my injuries, and Tye is always taking care of his, so that's probably one of the main differences."