"Sick match" - Fans can't get enough of Kade Ruotolo's surgical world title win over Uali Kurzhev in Singapore
The ascent of Kade Ruotolo in ONE Championship was meteoric because, in just his second fight in the promotion, he was able to capture the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title.
Ruotolo did it against Uali Kurzhev, whom he submitted in their bout at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October 2022.
Highlights of that exciting submission grappling championship fight was recently reposted on Instagram by the world's largest martial arts organization with the caption:
"Before Kade Ruotolo returns to MMA against Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE 169, watch him capture the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title against Uali Kurzhev! 👑 @ruotolobrothersjiutjitsu"
The 21-year-old BJJ phenom went berserk and went into aggressive mode when the opening bell rang. This approach has paid massive dividends because Ruotolo opened up several opportunities for him to finish the fight.
After so many failed attempts, Ruotolo finally got the breakthrough with a heel hook submission almost halfway into the match, making his Russian opponent tap quickly and wince in pain.
Due to this outstanding showing by the young American star, fans couldn't help themselves but give him his well-deserved props as users @mimmomachine, @wcjn419, @jacob.ltd, @master_jamil, and @clypz_backup commented:
"Sick match"
"I feel like having very strong hands would be a huge advantage"
"bro quickly regretted the takedown attempt 🥶"
"Surgical coaching pinpoint implementation, amazing outcome 🔥👏👏👏"
"You can hear tye coaching him on the side 🤘🏽🔥🔥"
Kade Ruotolo reveals that mixed martial arts gives him a different excitement ahead of his upcoming fight at ONE 169
After dominating the competition in submission grappling and sweeping his first six fights in the promotion, Kade Ruotolo has transitioned to MMA and made his debut in June 2024 at ONE 167.
The Atos representative had a successful debut in the sport after submitting Blake Cooper in their lightweight MMA scrap. Ahead of his second MMA appearance on Nov. 8 at ONE 169 against Ahmed Mujtaba, Ruotolo revealed that the sport has given him a different kind of excitement.
During a recent interview with B-Team Jiu-Jitsu, Ruotolo said:
"To be entirely honest, I'm super excited for MMA. That's what gets me out of bed in the morning excited, you know...it's mixed martial arts...and I love jiu-jitsu with all my heart, it just will forever be part of my life. But there's something about MMA that just excites me."
ONE 169 airs live from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 8, and North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can watch it for free.