“It’s been a part of our entire lives” - Kade Ruotolo looks back at competing in BJJ even before he and Tye entered preschool
Kade Ruotolo wouldn't be who he is today if not for Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion has been competing in the sport even before he learned the four basic operations of mathematics, and it's practically ingrained into his identity today.
In an interview with the Talk-Jitsu Podcast, Kade said he and his twin brother Tye were introduced to the sport before they were even four years of age.
Kade Ruotolo said:
"It started a long time ago, that's for sure. We were basically three-and-a-half [years old] when we were first thrown in. We did our first competitions like a week or two after that. It's been part of our entire lives."
Although the twins are just 21 years old, the professional submission grappling community often calls them the sport's youngest veterans.
That early start also proved fruitful for the brothers, and they collected as many world titles as possible before they were even legally allowed to drink.
Kade won world titles in the ADCC, Who's Number One, and the Eddie Bravo Invitational.
Tye, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion, has two world titles under Who's Number One, and one under the IBJJF.
The twins also hold identical 6-0 records in ONE Championship with six submission wins combined.
Watch the entire interview below:
Kade Ruotolo reveals focusing more on his striking in preparation for his MMA debut
Kade Ruotolo has an enviable submission grappling resume, and he plans to achieve the same level of success in a new sport when he transitions to MMA.
The American star is set to make his MMA debut at ONE 167 against Blake Cooper on June 7 at Impact Arena in Bangkok.
In the same interview with the Talk-Jitsu podcast, Kade said he's been focusing on his striking and wrestling in preparation for Cooper.
He said:
"Recently, there's been a lot more striking [in training], of course, and wrestling, things like that. It's not uncommon for us to take breaks in jiu-jitsu. We've always taken a lot of breaks in jiu-jitsu."
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.