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ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo long sought to compete in MMA and did not disappoint in his debut in the multi-faceted sport earlier this year, making short work of fellow American fighter Blake Cooper. The two faced off back in June at ONE 167 in Thailand, with the grappling ace showcasing his steadily improving MMA game, which he punctuated with a submission finish of Cooper in the opening round.
Ruotolo started things by testing his stand-up game with a variety of strikes before going for a takedown. Once he got hold of his opponent's back he did not let go, and eventually secured a rear-naked choke to close out the contest at the 3:20 mark.
Ahead of his next outing, ONE Championship recently posted a carousel of Ruotolo's highlights from the fight.
Check out the post below:
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Ruotolo's second straight MMA match is set for Nov. 8 at ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. He will go up against seasoned Pakistani fighter Ahmed Mujtaba in a featured lightweight battle.
The showdown is part of the stacked card which will be aired live and for free at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Kade Ruotolo wants to have a successful career in MMA like in jiu-jitsu
Kade Ruotolo has had a successful career in jiu-jitsu, which he hopes to replicate now that he is also competing in MMA. Among his goals is to stay undefeated.
The 21-year-old Atos standout spoke about his MMA journey in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, including his plans for the immediate future in the multiu-faceted sport.
The California-based fighter said:
"Just undefeated in MMA. That's the main thing. I just want to keep the fights coming and I just want to keep knocking them down. That's my goal. I've said it before in past interviews, in the most humble way possible, I'm very mentally strong."
Watch the interview below:
Kade Ruotolo started his ONE journey by winning all six of his matches in submission grappling, claiming the promotion's lightweight belt along the way. He made his MMA debut back in June and is looking expand his horizon as a fighter and continue to test himself.
