"Bring out all the fight in me" - Kade Ruotolo shares his biggest motivation for long-awaited MMA debut

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States can't wait to make his professional mixed martial arts debut. After discussing the possibility of transitioning over to MMA for the greater part of the last two years, the 21-year-old BJJ phenom is finally taking the leap and putting on the 4-ounce gloves in ONE Championship.

Speaking on the Talk-Jitsu Podcast, Ruotolo said he has a growing hunger to showcase his true fighting ability, and he wants to bring it all out.

The 21-year-old said:

"There's a lot of reasons [I wanted to transition to MMA]. For one, I've always had a love for it. I've always loved fighting. I love jiu-jitsu with all my heart, but there are a lot of rules in place that doesn't allow me to bring out all the fight I have in me, out of me."

Kade Ruotolo is set to lock horns with fellow American Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Friday, June 7th, U.S. primetime, with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Submission grappling phenom Kade Ruotolo has grand plans for MMA career: "I believe I can have a massive future"

If there's any doubt as to how serious Kade Ruotolo is to become an MMA fighter, the 21-year-old phenom will be the first to squash them. In fact, he believes he is destined to do great things in the cage.

Ruotolo told Talk-Jitsu:

"I believe I can have a massive future in MMA. I just love it. It's refreshing to learn something new everyday. It feels like I'm back in a blue belt and white level, the striking and everything like that."