“The hunted rather than the hunter” - Kade Ruotolo says he’s ready to face "hungry" challengers for his spot

Following his historic world title win at ONE on Prime Video 3, submission grappling star Kade Ruotolo is now facing a world where he is the hunted rather than the hunter.

At just 19 years old, Ruotolo laid waste to all who stood in his way during his ADCC Submission Fighting Championship run in September, becoming the tournament’s youngest world champion.

A month removed from that epic run, Ruotolo made history again, becoming the first-ever ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion. He did so by besting sambo sensation Uali Kurzhev.

During his ONE on Prime Video 3 post-fight interview, Ruotolo spoke about the shift in dynamic now that he is at the front of the pack following his ADCC performance and ONE world title victory.

“I think I said this before, but one thing that kind of changed is now, I feel like I'm the hunted rather than the hunter. I've always been looking after that number one spot, trying to get to the top, and now it kind of almost feels like I'm there. I got a lot of hungry people coming after me. And that's exactly what I want. So I can't wait to face everybody.”

As far as who’s next for Kade Ruotolo inside the circle is anyone’s guess, but the young submission superstar does believe that the debate between Brazilian jiu-jitsu and sambo is far from over.

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Kade Ruotolo believes the battle of BJJ vs. sambo is far from finished

Entering the circle last Friday night, Kade Ruotolo squared off with a sambo world champion in Uali Kurzhev.

Over the years, there has been much debate over which grappling form is more effective. Ruotolo scored a big win for the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu with his slick heel hook submission over Kurzhev. However, he believes the debate between the two combat sports styles is far from finished.

"Yeah, man, that's at least in the circle, I'd say just for now right, guaranteed. That was definitely more of my field out there and more of my game, the grappling format. It's kind of hard to say, everyone's different. There are definitely different sambo guys out there, different jiu-jitsu guys, everyone has different skill sets and levels. But at least between me and him, maybe.”

After a whirlwind month that saw Kade Ruotolo establish himself as one of the greatest submission specialists in the world, the young star plans to enjoy the next few months with a little rest and relaxation before making a return to the circle in early 2023.