"Something we've been working on all camp" - Kade Ruotolo says 'special' overhand right was nothing out of the ordinary
Kade Ruotolo's clean overhand right sparked the beginning of the end for Ahmed Mujtaba at last Friday's ONE 169.
The 21 year-old superstar showcased he was more than just a grappler when he secured his second MMA win with the help of some of his striking.
In the first round of his lightweight battle with Mujtaba, Kade stalked his opposition with leg kicks and strikes from the outside until landing an unpredictable overhand to drop Mujtaba on the spot. Seconds later, as the Pakistani attempted to rise to his feet, Kade shifted towards locking in the D'arce Choke to tap Mujtaba out of the fight.
Downplaying the overhand right with Mitch Chilson during his in-ring interview, Kade said:
"That was something we've been working on all camp - high low, over. That's the combo that's been special for me and I'm so stoked to get it done today. So stoked."
Watch the full fight highlights between Kade Ruotolo and Ahmed Mujtaba below:
To cap off his incredible performance at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Kade pocketed another $50K bonus. Now, the next thing on Kade's list is to stay as active as ever. As the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, it might be time to switch over again to defend his coveted crown.
Kade Ruotolo strives to make his MMA performances as thrilling to watch as his Brazilian jiu-jitsu matches
Kade Ruotolo truly understands how to work for a crowd when he's in the middle of a competitive Circle.
The BJJ wizard believes that the key to producing some of the most thrilling matches is to take risks to find early stoppages. So far, that's exactly what Kade has been doing in submission grappling since he joined the organization in 2022. Now, he wants to do the same with MMA.
At the post-ONE 169 media interviews, he said:
"In Jiu-Jitsu, our goal is to always be as exciting as possible, you know put on the best performances as possible and that's my goal in MMA as well."
Check out his comments below (5:20):