“From a fan standpoint, I love it” - Kade Ruotolo has high praise for how ONE Championship crafts its shows
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo has grown impressed with ONE Championship's tack to present various martial arts disciplines in its shows. He said as a fan, it is a welcome sight to be exposed to diverse forms to make it a truly thorough experience.
The 21-year-old Atos standout shared to Cageside Press that right from the first ONE show he caught, he has been a captive audience. This is apart from being in the matches themselves against the top fighters in the world.
Kade Ruotolo said:
"We were watching Superlek and [Taiki Naito], two of the gnarliest Muay Thay guys. Seeing that, I was cageside for it, it was the highest-level Muay Thai I've ever seen. That shin to shin exchange, just sounded like two metal baskets cracking. I was like, 'What the heck?' And then watching MMA and everything on the same night, it was dope, you know? I've got love for all martial arts. So from a fan standpoint, I love it. Totally."
Check out what he had to say below:
ONE Championship began showcasing MMA-only shows, but in the last few years has made a conscious effort to include other disciplines, namely Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. The move has been well received by combats sports fans.
Kade Ruotolo made his promotional debut in May 2022 and has become of the noted faces of submission grappling in ONE, along with his twin brother Tye, flyweight king Mikey Musumeci, and female fighters Danielle Kelly and Mayssa Bastos.
Kade Ruotolo returns to submission grappling at ONE 168
Kade Ruotolo returns to his tradional lane of submission grappling after making his long-sought MMA debut in his last fight in June.
The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will be defending his championship belt against flyweight king Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., on Sept, 6. It will be his fourth defense of the gold he won in October 2022.
Kade Ruotolo's last successful defense came in January this year over Tommy Langaker of Norway by unanimous decision in their title rematch. He was previously in action in June when he made a winning MMA debut with a submission victory in the opening round over fellow American Blake Cooper.
Out to dethrone him at ONE 168 is Musumeci, who is climbing three weight divisions higher to realize his goal of becoming a double ONE world champion. Like Ruotolo, he has been undefeated in seven fights to date in the promotion.
ONE 168 will take place at the Ball Arena in Denver and air live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Tickets for the event are available on Ticketmaster.