Kade Ruotolo reveals labrum injury that kept him sidelined after winning Craig Jones Invitational: “It doesn't feel good”
Kade Ruotolo made history when he bagged the one million dollar cash prize after becoming the Craig Jones Invitational's under 80kg champion. However, his massive CJI triumph has taken a toll on his body.
Unfortunately, the lightweight submission grappling world champion pulled out of his title defense against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver last September due to a previously undisclosed injury.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show on YouTube, Ruotolo revealed that he dealt with a torn labrum in both of his hips, forcing him to rest and recuperate over the last couple of months.
He said:
"More or less. You know how it is in our sport, if it's not one thing it's another. That's been the battle for me this year, it’s just trying to keep my body as healthy as possible, same thing with my brother."
The youngest ADCC world champion continued:
"And yeah, dealing with the labrum [issue], trying to keep it on the low but it's pretty much out there now. So yeah, I got a torn labrum in each hip, but you know I fought that last competition on it. It doesn't feel good but you got to do what you got to do."
Check out the entirety of Kade Ruotolo's interview below:
Kade Ruotolo says he can't afford to underestimate Ahmed Mujtaba
Now back with a clean bill of health, Kade Ruotolo is ready for his sophomore outing in mixed martial arts. The 21-year-old BJJ prodigy will don the four-ounce gloves for the second time in his career against Pakistan's Ahmed Mujtaba in a three-round lightweight MMA contest at ONE 169 this coming Friday.
In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Ruotolo said he must remain wary of 'Wolverine's well-rounded abilities.
He said:
"He's got a solid straight right down the middle and a decent uppercut. He's knocked a couple people out on the ONE platform. I'm definitely not taking him lightly."
The Atos product added:
"I think he's a brown belt on the ground, so you know he's got some weariness when it comes up to jiu-jitsu."
ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug will air live at U.S. Primetime on Nov. 8 from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The stacked event is free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.