"These are the boys for sure" - Kade Ruotolo says he clicked right away with MMA coaches Erik Paulson, Tyler Wombles
Kade Ruotolo wasn't quiet about his ambitions to compete in MMA under the ONE Championship banner.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion has been maintaining his dominance in jiu-jitsu whilst simultaneously preparing for his next move.
Despite his motivation to try his hand at MMA, Kade was also in no rush to make this big jump because he knew that everything needed to be right which certainly paid off for him at ONE 167.
A big part of undergoing his first proper training camp for an MMA contest was putting the right people around him.
He has encountered many athletes in this sport but having never needed a coach for this specific sport before, he needed to go out and find one.
Kade eventually came across Eric Paulson and Tyler Wombles, and as he told The MMA Hour in a recent interview, he knew from the start that this was going to be his new home:
"I never had that head coach, and I go here and go there. It wasn't the best fit for me, and then I met coach Eric and Tyler and I was like 'Okay, these are the boys for sure.'"
Watch the full interview below:
Kade Ruotolo is a perfect student for an MMA coach
Having Kade Ruotolo walk into your gym is sure to be a perfect moment for any MMA coach out there.
With his passion and dedication to the sport, this isn't just a quick attempt to stay busy; it's something that he is serious about.
He's already one of the best grapplers in the world and a great athlete, so at just 21 years old, he's got a great foundation to build on.
Kade is set to return to grappling for his next outing at ONE 168 in a super fight with Mikey Musumeci, but once this is done, you can expect to see him back in the gloves in the near future.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.