Kade Ruotolo says his goal in ONE is to make submission grappling more "digestible" for the global fanbase
Kade Ruotolo has been right at the forefront of ONE Championship's continued support of submission grappling.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion is working alongside the promotion to try and bring more eyes to the sport that he has dedicated his life and energy to.
Putting on exciting matchups on the biggest stage possible is a highly motivating pursuit for Kade, who finds himself at the very top of the sport right now.
ONE Fight Night 21 was a perfect example of that for both he and his brother, who secured almost identical submission finishes on the same night. Kade and Tye Ruotolo didn't just get big wins, they won the support of the fans inside Lumpinee Stadium with the nature of their performances.
After his fight, Kade Ruotolo told Nick Atkin in an interview for Sportskeeda that growing the sport and introducing it to new fans continues to be his driving force:
"My goal and his goal, Tye's, is to try and change that mentality and that point of view [that makes submission grappling] a bit hard to understand. And just to try to make it digestible for the fans."
Watch the full interview below:
Kade Ruotolo is accomplishing his goal with wins like ONE Fight Night 21
If making submission grappling more digestible is the goal, Tye and Kade Ruotolo are excellent figureheads to have on their side.
Both brothers bring a lot of personality and an exciting grappling style that never sees them take their feet off the gas pedal in search of a submission.
ONE Fight Night 21 was another great night for them, but most of all, it showcased that they can display how exciting grappling can be when you have the right stage, competitors, and matchups.
Both brothers earned performance bonuses on April 5. That is easy to see why after their submission wins and the reaction they inspired from the fans.
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 21 via the free on-demand event replay.