“It’s just refreshing” - Kade Ruotolo says MMA has given him a new perspective in his growth as a combat sports superstar
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo said doing MMA as well has given him a new and better perspective as a combat sports athlete. He shared that he is enjoying the learning process involved in the multifaceted sport and he is looking forward to growing in it further.
The Atos standout spoke about this in an interview with the MMA Junkie, which was uploaded on YouTube on Oct. 28, relaying how his MMA journey been with his team.
Ruotolo, 21, said:
"So every day I'm learning so much that's why I love it so much, you know. It's been a long time since I learned something every single day and it's just refreshing, you know. So yeah."
Watch the interview below:
Kade Ruotolo had his maiden MMA outing back in June and was impressive, winning by submission in the opening round over fellow American fighter Blake Cooper.
It is something he is out to build on when he plunges back into MMA action again on Nov. 8 at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug', where he will go up against veteran martial artist Ahmad Mujtaba of Pakistan.
ONE 169 will take place at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and air live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Kade Ruotolo intends to compete in more MMA matches next year
Kade Ruotolo's MMA journey has taken off but he intends to pick it up further next year by seeing action in more matches in it. He looks to do it while guarding his standing as the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.
He made this known in the same interview with the MMA Junkie as he shared his plans for the immediate future.
Ruotolo said:
"Ideally for 2025, if I can get, you know, a bare minimum of three, that would be awesome. If I could get three MMA scraps in and still, you know, defend my jiu-jitsu belt, I think that's be really active here, and I'd be super stoked to get that done yeah."
Kade Ruotolo is set for another MMA match on Nov. 8 at ONE 169, taking on Pakistani fighter Ahmed Mujtaba. It is one of five MMA matches featured at the marquee event.