Watch: Uali Kurzhev tries to take Kade Ruotolo’s belt backstage as the two fighters exchange pleasantries

Uali Kurzhev/Kade Ruotolo/ONE Championship
Uali Kurzhev [left] and Kade Ruotolo [right] Image: ONE Championship

Russian sambo star Uali Kurzhev came up short in his bid for the inaugural lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE on Prime Video 3. Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Kade Ruotolo locked in a fight-sealing heel hook about halfway through the 10-minute title fight.

With the win, the 19-year-old prodigy became ONE’s second submission grappling champion after Mikey Musumeci claimed the bantamweight crown at ONE on Prime Video 2.

Following their championship collision inside the circle, Kurzhev met with his victorious opponent backstage. Kurzhev can be seen jokingly making an attempt to grab the belt prior to the pair exchanging pleasantries.

See the interaction below:

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BJJ defeated sambo this time around in what is a longstanding battle for grappling supremacy.


Kade Ruotolo adds a point for BJJ with win over tough Uali Kurzhev

Unfortunately for Uali Kurzhev, he wouldn't have left with the belt even if he had won. That's because he failed a hydration test prior to weigh-ins.

The 33-year-old's brightest moment in the contest came early on when he secured a foot trip. After that, it was all Ruotolo. The young champion took Kurzhev's back and spent the next few minutes attacking the Russian's neck. Eventually, Ruotolo made his opponent tap due to a heel hook.

The newly-crowned lightweight submission grappling champ knew it was a win for the BJJ community. Ruotolo said:

"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.”

Commendably, Uali Kurzhev didn't go down without a fight. In fact, Ruotolo claimed he heard the Russian's heel pop multiple times before eventually tapping.

“Man, props to him. He’s so tough. He let it pop multiple times. It was kind of nasty. I made sure to check up on him, and made sure he was good. But man, he’s a stud. He’s an absolute monster, for sure. That foot sweep in the beginning caught me by surprise, I wasn’t ready for that. Legend.”

Be sure to look out for news regarding Ruotolo's first lightweight submission grappling title defense, as well as an announcement pertaining to Kurzhev's next bout.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard
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