“I'm comfortable on my feet” – BJJ savant Kade Ruotolo says striking won’t be an issue in MMA debut vs Blake Cooper
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo made short work of Francisco Lo in their non-title catchweight bout at ONE Fight Night 21 last week. Inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the submission grappling king submitted his Brazilian foe with a submission he and his twin brother Tye invented: the Ruotolo-tine.
After collecting another sweet $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, Kade Ruotolo announced that he'll make his long-awaited MMA debut at ONE 167 on June 7th.
As one of the greatest young talents in submission grappling today, this is tremendous news as Ruotolo is only 21 years old and still yet to see his prime. Transitioning as early as now after already achieving enormous accolades in submission grappling means he has a huge chance of conquering the MMA world as well.
Appearing in MMA legend Rampage Jackson's podcast, Jaxxson Podcast, on YouTube, the BJJ prodigy shed light on how his MMA skills are at the moment:
“It’s been coming along, for sure. I’m no Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali in the hands yet, but it’s coming along pretty fast I'm definitely comfortable. That’s the main adjustment. I'm definitely comfortable on my feet.”
Watch the full interview here:
Kade Ruotolo willing to take on anyone in MMA career
When asked who in particular he is looking forward to facing in his budding MMA career, Kade Ruotolo gave a very confident answer. It seems the young gun is taking the take-no-prisoners attitude he developed in submission grappling to the world of mixed martial arts.
He told Rampage:
"Honestly. I don't really care. A fight is a fight. Regardless of the style I'm fighting, you know. Just doesn't matter when I do MMA more frequently. Jiu-jitsu guy, wrestler, striker, whatever."
If you want to watch Ruotolo's win at ONE Fight Night 21, the replay is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
As for ONE 167, the event will air live on US Primetime on June 7, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.