"My calves were tired before anything else" - Kade Ruotolo admits conditioning for MMA is more challenging than BJJ
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo has been a supreme athlete throughout his life.
As such, the 21-year-old BJJ prodigy was confident he could ease into his mixed martial arts transition without much concern.
Then again, as Ruotolo found out the hard way, training for MMA and BJJ seemed like night and day.
Ahead of his MMA debut at ONE 167, Kade Ruotolo sat down with his fellow ONE world champion Demetrious Johnson on his MightyCast podcast.
The Atos standout revealed what he had the most trouble with:
"The hardest thing was the cardio on my legs. It's kind of like the last thing you expect, honestly. I'll go all day on jiu-jitsu for hours straight or whatever. But it's different [in MMA]. The hopping is different, the calf muscles [used]. That was something I didn't have built up in jiu-jitsu because we're not on and off [on the feet]. It's like you have a heavier set on each set. So just the footwork and things like that."
The youngest ADCC world champion continued:
"The leg cardio was one of the biggest shockers. Like, 'Dang, I need to get my legs going or something.' It's not that I'm tired but my legs are tired. I felt like cardio-wise, I could go another 100 rounds, but my calves were just tired before everything else."
Watch the enticing interview in its entirety, here:
Kade Ruotolo ready to begin new chapter against Blake Cooper
After strengthening his lower base for the demands of MMA, Kade Ruotolo is ready to showcase the progress he made behind closed doors in his upcoming tiff with Blake Cooper.
The stacked ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut II on Prime Video is just around the corner, which features Ruotolo's first test in four-ounce gloves.
With striking now part of the equation, Ruotolo shared his improvements in an interview with Karyn Bryant:
"I'm feeling super comfortable in the sparring rooms and you know offensively and defensively, everywhere in striking. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable."
ONE 167 will air live on US Primetime on June 7 from Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. This blockbuster event is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.