Kade Ruotolo to explore striking more with Ahmed Mujtaba: "Definitely not going to just grapple him right away"
Kade Ruotolo is eager to go 2-0 in the mixed martial arts realm, and he'll want to showcase some of his striking artillery along the way.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion sticks in the MMA lane at ONE 169 on November 8. There, he faces Pakistan sensation Ahmed Mujtaba.
Speaking on his plan for his upcoming fight, Kade Ruotolo admits that he'd prefer to explore his options on the feet before going back to his roots on the canvas.
The 21-year-old told MMA Junkie:
"I'm definitely not going to look to just grapple him right away, you know. I don't want it to feel like a jiu-jitsu match."
Watch the full interview here:
The Atos representative did just that when he debuted in the discipline at ONE 167 in June this year.
Ruotolo trimmed the gap behind some combinations before sinking in the match-winning submission against Blake Cooper at 3:20 of the opening frame.
The triumph took his overall promotional slate to 7-0, with the rest of his wins coming in the submission grappling realm.
Can Kade Ruotolo finish Ahmed Mujtaba inside the distance?
While Ahmed Mujtaba brings an all-around style that could threaten to cut Kade Ruotolo's perfect streak in ONE Championship, the young American warrior should have enough at his disposal to secure another positive result in their lightweight MMA fixture at ONE 169.
If his plan to display facets of his stand-up game hits a toll, the 21-year-old can crack into the Pakistani's defense with a takedown. From there, Ruotolo will open himself up to a myriad of submission opportunities.
However, if 'Wolverine' does his best to wriggle free, again, the Atos representative can secure top mount and potentially finish the fight with a ground-and-pound sequence to move 2-0 in MMA.
ONE 169 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America on Friday, November 8.