WATCH: Kade Ruotolo shows off his BJJ pedigree against Uali Kurzhev to claim inaugural lightweight submission grappling gold

Kade Ruotolo left no doubt about his caliber as an athlete when he captured the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title.

This historic feat happened in Oct. 2022 when the young American phenom took on multiple-time Sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev at ONE Fight Night 3 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The promotion recently revisited his crowning achievement, sharing the clip on Instagram:

In that memorable encounter, Ruotolo seized every opportunity to put pressure on Kurzhev. He then orchestrated the finish, operating behind a leg entanglement to expertly apply a heel hook and force the tap at the 4:26 mark.

Fans were quick to praise his performance, with Instagram user @boubred__amine applauding Ruotolo in the comments:

“It's crazy how there [are] levels to this game.”

Since that career-defining victory, Ruotolo has been untouchable atop the food chain, successfully defending his throne three times.

However, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu standout appears to have little left to prove in submission grappling and has set his sights on the multifaceted world of mixed martial arts.

Ruotolo’s transition to MMA has been nothing short of spectacular. In his debut last June, he dismantled Hawaiian dynamo Blake Cooper, getting the job done with a rear-naked choke in the very first round.

Just five months later, he continued his rampage, submitting Pakistani veteran Ahmed Mujtaba with a lightning-quick D’Arce choke.

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Potential contenders for Kade Ruotolo's world title emerge

As Kade Ruotolo’s focus shifts to MMA, the lightweight submission grappling division has seen a surge of fresh contenders eyeing his crown.

At ONE Fight Night 26 earlier this month, two debutants stole the spotlight with statement wins. Cole Abate stunned fans by submitting Shinya Aoki via a perfectly executed heel hook, while Dante Leon dispatched Bruno Pucci with a deep triangle choke.

With Abate and Leon racing toward a potential world title shot, Ruotolo may soon be drawn back to the submission grappling circuit.