WATCH: Kade Ruotolo secures a hat-trick of MMA wins in sublime submission of Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171

Kade Ruotolo continues to build an impressive resume in mixed martial arts, clinching his third consecutive victory in the all-encompassing sport.

The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion strapped on a pair of four-ounce MMA gloves once again, dispatching Argentinian newcomer Nicolas Vigna in a 175-pound catchweight bout at ONE 171 on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Watch the highlights of that matchup below:

Competing in front of a lively crowd at Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar, the American phenom wasted no time imposing his will. From the opening bell, he relentlessly pursued the promotional debutant, operating behind his grappling expertise to attack the Argentinian with heel hooks, ground-and-pound, and a rear-naked choke.

Vigna showed resilience, fending off multiple submission attempts, but the inevitable came at the 3:04 mark of the first round when Ruotolo locked in a tight arm-triangle choke, forcing the tap.

With the scintillating win, Ruotolo improved to 3-0 in MMA — all first-round finishes — while handing Vigna the first loss of his professional career. He also pocketed a well-earned $50,000 performance bonus.

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Kade Ruotolo plans to return to submission grappling

While his transition to MMA has been seamless, Kade Ruotolo has his sights set on defending his ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship next.

He made this declaration in a post-fight interview with color commentator Mitch Chilson.

As Ruotolo entertains the idea of returning to his bread and butter, he may have a formidable challenger waiting in the wings.

Cole Abate made a strong case for a world title shot with a breakout performance at ONE Fight Night 26 in December 2024, where he stunned fans by submitting former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki with a textbook heel hook in a lightweight submission grappling clash.

That victory could set the stage for an electrifying showdown between Abate and Ruotolo when the latter makes a submission grappling comeback to defend his throne.