“I don’t want to watch it too much” - Kade Ruotolo reveals why he seldom reviews tape on his upcoming opponents
Kade Ruotolo doesn't spend much time watching footage of his opponents.
Thus far, that strategy has seemingly worked pretty well for him. After all, he is the current ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion and is on the cusp of going 2-0 in mixed martial arts after a successful MMA debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167 over the summer.
This Friday night, November 8, Ruotolo will once again strap on the four-ounce gloves for a clash with former Pakistani MMA champion Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE 169 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show before returning to martial arts' biggest global stage, Ruotolo revealed that he spends very little time researching his opponents.
"We watched a little bit of film, a couple of matches. I like to see what my opponents are good at, but I don’t want to watch it too much and become obsessed with what they're good at because I'm more focused on what I'm going to hit in there, right? So just like to see what he's good as his main two or three punches."
Previewing Kade Ruotolo's next bout
Through seven total appearances inside the Circle, Ruotolo is a perfect 7-0, including six submission grappling wins and his first-round submission victory against Cooper in his MMA debut in June.
With all due respect to Blake Cooper, his experience in the world of MMA is limited—having only gone 2-2 with both losses coming under the ONE banner.
At ONE 169, Ruotolo will face a much more dangerous and experienced opponent in Ahmed Mujtaba, a fighter who has earned both submissions and knockouts inside the Circle. 'Wolverine' landed a 56-second KO against Rahul Raju before adding a first-round submission win over Abraao Amorim the following year.
Will Mujtaba stop Ruotolo's momentum in its track and hand the 21-year-old his first loss in ONE, or will the Atos Jiu-Jitsu sensation continue his climb toward being one of the most accomplished martial artists on the planet?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 8 in U.S. primetime.