“It’s nothing compared to MMA” - Grappling ace Kade Ruotolo admits he was surprised by the sheer brutality of mixed martial arts
Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States had a memorable experience in his first professional mixed martial arts fight earlier this year.
The 21-year-old American BJJ phenom made his cage debut against countryman Blake Cooper at ONE 167 on Prime Video last June in Bangkok, winning via first-round rear-naked choke.
But while Ruotolo, as expected, took home the submission victory, the superstar was able to showcase a little bit of his striking for a brief moment in the fight. And though he was certainly on point and did better than expected, Ruotolo says the extremely physical nature of MMA surprised him.
Speaking in a recent interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo compared MMA striking to what he has experienced so far competing at the highest levels of BJJ.
The 21-year-old said:
"Those accidental kicks or that collar tie that slaps you in the face or whatever, it’s nothing compared to MMA. I think it’s tougher."
Needless to say, Ruotolo has learned a lot from the experience and will apply what he has learned to his next fight.
For his upcoming appearance in the Circle, Ruotolo will return to the submission grappling realm to defend his gold against a worthy contender.
Kade Ruotolo to defend lightweight gold against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver
21-year-old submission grappling phenom Kade Ruotolo will put his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title on the line against ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci.
The two lock horns at ONE 168: Denver, which 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. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.