Kade Ruotolo says he already has "a contract signed," hints at looming MMA debut in ONE Championship
BJJ phenom Kade Ruotolo recently revealed that he's got an MMA contract signed in ONE Championship.
In this week's "Ask Us Anything," Kade answered a question from one of his followers on Instagram about how soon we can expect him to debut in his first MMA match at ONE:
"Kade, have you heard anything from ONE concerning a MMA fight? Since you didn't get the 1h notice fight in Tokyo in January."
Kade Ruotolo replied,
"Haha, that woould have been epic. There is a contact signed on my end. It will be sooner than later."
The "1-hour notice fight in Tokyo" that the fan mentioned above refers to Kade's almost sudden MMA debut against Shinya Aoki at ONE 165.
The American BJJ star was ready to take on the Japanese veteran after 'Super' Sage Northcutt withdrew from the bout on short notice. But Aoki fought former ONE bantamweight world titleholder John Lineker instead.
However, according to Kade, it won't be long until he gets a new MMA fight.
The Ruotolos, meanwhile, will continue their grappling greatness at ONE Fight Night 21 this Friday. Kade will duke it out with Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight contest. Tye, on the other hand, will be defending his welterweight submission grappling crown against Izaak Michell.
"I just love to fight" - Kade Ruotolo wants to be recognized as a true martial artist in all its forms
It became obvious from the start that Kade Ruotolo is an exceptional and fearless athlete.
The 21-year-old phenom made his ONE debut two years ago against one of the most menacing submission specialists in the world, Shinya Aoki, and that didn't even make his legs tremble.
He was then put against Uali Kurzhev, an expert Sambo gold medalist, and Kade didn't break a sweat after finishing him by submission.
Kade Ruotolo later defeated IBJJF champion Matheus Gabriel to defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title, and yet, Kade wanted more blood.
The body of work Kade has completed under the promotion is astonishing. The pattern here proves he loves doing what he does. Looking forward to the next chapter of his career, Kade hopes he can be the first BJJ star to win an MMA world title.
"I know it's coming up really quick," he told ONE. "But my dream is to become the double-champ for ONE Championship - jiu-jitsu and MMA. I'd like to consider myself as a true martial artist. I don't think I've ever turned down a fight, and I feel like I just love to fight."