“I made a lot of mistakes” - Kade Ruotolo critical of his own performance in impressive MMA debut
Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States was impressive in his professional mixed martial arts debut last weekend at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video.
The 21-year-old BJJ black belt looked sharp and on point, trading strikes with fellow American Blake Cooper at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand last Saturday, June 8th.
In the end, Ruotolo was able to take Cooper to the mat and take the wind out of the Hawaiian's sails with a rear-naked choke in the very first round.
Speaking to the media at the official ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II press conference backstage, Ruotolo was hypercritical of his own performance.
The 21-year-old stated:
"I feel like, yourself is your biggest critic most of the time. So, I’ve seen a lot of mistakes or just feeling like I made a lot of mistakes on the feet. But at the same time, I just got that nervous energy, that nervous debut, and I can’t wait to go show people what I can do on the feet as well."
Ruotolo continued:
"Personally, I want to do another MMA match. But whatever challenge is coming next, you know I’m ready."
If you missed any of the action, a replay of ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II is available on-demand via Amazon Prime Video.
What's next for Kade Ruotolo?
The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo will return to the submission grappling arena for a superfight against flyweight king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci.
The 21-year-old will defend his gold at ONE 168: Denver, ONE Championship's highly anticipated on-ground return to the continental U.S.
The event broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.