"That toughened us up" - Kade Ruotolo tells story of bare knuckle fight with twin Tye on the beach
Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States recently revealed that regular fist fights with his twin brother Tye, the ONE welterweight submission grappling king, set him up for his upcoming pro mixed martial arts debut.
Speaking on the Jaxxon Podcast in a recent interview, Kade said he has always had little scuffles with Tye growing up. In fact, he shared a particular instance on the podcast, going into detail.
The 21-year-old phenom said:
"So we're going to the beach. We just hop in the car and we're just talking shit to each other. We pull up to the beach, and had at least 30 minutes of boxing, bare knuckle. We both had fat lips and everything. There were even rocks and sand around. It was a rocky beach all sketchy. So many wars like that toughened us up."
Kade says this kind of experience has primed him for his next fight.
Kade Ruotolo is set to make his pro MMA debut against fellow American Blake Cooper.
The two lock horns at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video. The event broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Friday, June 7th, U.S. primetime on Amazon Prime Video.
Kade Ruotolo vows to use his BJJ to the fullest as an MMA fighter
Kade Ruotolo won't go down the same path as other BJJ specialists who transition to MMA. The 21-year-old says he will use his jiu-jitsu to its fullest in all his fights.
He told the Jaxxon Podcast:
"I think what we see in [MMA] is there are certain jiu-jitsu coaches that have a high-level fighter or an amazing striker, and they're getting the jobs done with their hands. They're getting the results in the cage. But they're not really using their jiu-jitsu. On paper, they are getting the wins, getting the results, but they're not really using their jiu-jitsu."
Ruotolo vows to be an example to all BJJ specialists who ply the MMA trades and turn his opponents into human pretzels.