“It also adds to the legacy of his mentor” - Chael Sonnen says victory for Kade Ruotolo will bring glory to Andre Galvao
Fresh off his historic run at the 2022 ADCC Submission Fighting Championship, Kade Ruotolo is ready to make history once again as ONE Championship returns to Malaysia for its highly-anticipated ONE on Prime Video 3 lineup.
One of the promotion’s three scheduled world title fights includes Ruotolo taking on sambo world champ Uali Kurzhev. Their bout will crown the first-ever lightweight submission grappling world champion.
Giving his thoughts on Kade Ruotolo’s impressive ADCC run and his world title opportunity on Friday night is MMA veteran Chael Sonnen. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sonnen suggested that Ruotolo’s impressive run at such an early age is both a testament to himself and to his mentor, Andre Galvao.
“So now you have Kade Ruotolo. He and his brother stormed into Abu Dhabi. Kade himself wins Abu Dhabi but finished everybody to do it. He had an experience and he had exposure and people are making a big deal about his age. It doesn't matter how young he is, he was given a black belt by Andre [Galvao]. I believe 18, and if I've got that wrong, 17. And that's very young. But if you look at hours on the map, if you look at the time put in, so he's going to go off to ONE Championship. He's going to have Andre with him.”
Sonnen continued, saying:
“Grappling is changing. Chatri is helping it, ONE Championship is helping it, and you are helping by supporting [them]. This weekend, world titles are on the line, and it's not just for Kade. It also adds to the legacy of his mentor, Andre Galvao.”
Catch the video below:
Kade Ruotolo has the same goal no matter who he’s competing against
At just 19 years old, Kade Ruotolo has made a career of submitting people. Whether it’s on the mat or in the cage, the goal remains the same: make your opponent tap.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo made it clear that no matter who stands across from him, the plan is to take them down and make them choose between tap, snap, or nap.
“No matter who it is, if I were to fight [MMA legend] Khabib [Nurmagomedov], my goal is to take him down and submit. You know, pass and submit. It’s always the same for everybody. And the same for my brother. For me, that’s always just been the most realistic situation.”
Ruotolo has teased a potential turn at mixed martial arts in the future. For now, though, the young submission sensation is perfectly happy showcasing his skills in an ever-growing submission grappling division under the ONE Championship banner.
Will Kade Ruotolo add another world title to his collection on Friday night or will the debuting sambo standout Uali Kurzhev shock the world? We'll find out at ONE on Prime Video 3.