"God-level grappling" - Kade Ruotolo has fans in utter disbelief with his dominant world title win over Uali Kurzhev
Kade Ruotolo's crowning moment as the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion came in Oct. 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 3, when he defeated Uali Kurzhev inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ruotolo forced a tap out of Kurzhev via a heel hook at the 4:26 mark of the single-round match to capture the 26-pound golden belt. ONE Championship recently reposted highlights of this masterful performance by the 21-year-old phenom on Instagram.
The caption read:
"Before Kade Ruotolo squares off with Mikey Musumeci for their ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title match on September 6, relive his sensational submission win against Uali Kurzhev! 🏆 @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu"
It was the Atos representative's second victory under the world's largest martial arts organization after he unanimously beat the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki in his debut at ONE 157 in May 2022.
Fans could not get enough of Ruotolo's performance, as users @sean.king.5811, @invisible.jay, @amdisboxingclub, @tobidanzolovejiujitsu, @olliedoganay, and @shotbyjosh510 showered him with praise through their comments:
""wooooah" they all said it in unison😂"
"god level grappling here..on both sides..insane.."
"Very satisfying to watch after how the match started. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"
"Thats why ONE ruleset is so hype no more guarding always attacking"
"jiu jitsu is superior to grappling. end story."
"what a sick sequence"
Kade Ruotolo set to defend his world title against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver
Fresh off his successful MMA debut at ONE 167 in June 2024, when he submitted Blake Cooper in the opening round of their match, Ruotolo will now shift his focus to the gentle art. He is scheduled to face reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver.
The American BJJ savant is looking to fend off the challenge from 'Darth Rigatoni' and keep his status as the unquestioned division king on Sept. 6 at the Ball Arena in Colorado.
ONE 168: Denver will air live from the Ball Arena at U.S. primetime on Sept. 6. Tickets for the event are available on Ticketmaster.