“Keep it in the first round again” - Kade Ruotolo thrilled to wrap things early vs. Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171: Qatar
It was another impressive mixed martial arts outing for American fighter Kade Ruotolo as he fashioned out again an opening-round submission victory in ONE Championship. It is something he said was in line with his goal heading into the match.
The 23-year-old Team Tenore affiliate, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, made short work of promotion-debuting Nicolas Vigna of Argentina in their catchweight (175 pounds) clash at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail.
Ruotolo made it three straight wins in MMA when he dominated Vigna right from the onset, which culminated in the grappling ace executing an arm-triangle choke midway into the first round for the win.
During the post-fight interview inside the Circle with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson, Kade Ruotolo revealed the quick finish was what exactly he was angling for and that he was just happy he was able to deliver on it.
The 22-year-old Californian said:
Sorta. Kind of, a little bit, for sure. The main goal here was to keep it in the first round again. Last few finishes were in the first round. So I knew I gotta do the same this time around.
Kade Ruotolo set the tone early in the match by landing a head kick in the opening seconds of the match then went for a heel hook. From there he kept the pressure on his opponent, presenting varying looks on the ground that had Vigna on the defensive no end.
He eventually had a firm body lock on Vigna, who desperately tried to fight his way out of it. Unfortunately for him, in doing so, he opened himself up for a choke on the head and arm, which the American fighter took advantage of for the finish.
The win was the ninth straight overall for Ruotolo in ONE Championship while he improved his MMA record to 3-0 and counting.
The replay of ONE 171 is available at watch.onefc.com.
Quick finish earns Kade Ruotolo another $50,000 performance bonus
The opening-round submission win of Kade Ruotolo at ONE 171: Qatar also earned him another $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
It was his seventh bonus win in nine victories in ONE Championship since making his promotional debut in May 2022.
Ruotolo was one of five athletes who were rewarded with the incentive for their spectacular performances. The others were ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio, Shamil Erdogan, Roberto Soldic, and Ayaka Miura.