"They forget to use their back" - Kade Ruotolo tells Demetrious Johnson the secret to the frightening squeeze in his chokes
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is a master when it comes to applying torque and squeezing power to strangleholds. Even MMA legend Demetrious Johnson is in awe of the 21-year-old's insightful knowledge on applying the maximum pressure possible.
The ONE flyweight MMA world champion recently had Ruotolo as a guest for his MightyCast podcast, where they covered a variety of interesting topics. But perhaps the most enticing exchange between the pair of world-class athletes was when they discussed a neat trick of how to tighten chokes for both BJJ and MMA.
Johnson, who rolled with Ruotolo before their interview, observed how the Atos standout doesn't just squeeze from his arms when applying his submissions. 'DJ' said:
"You were talking about finishing mechanics, like you're locking your traps [trapezius muscle], and then you begin to squeeze."
Kade Ruotolo, meanwhile, was quick to utter this response:
"Almost every choke you can do that. There are some chokes that maybe don't apply for it as much, but [it works] to all those D'Arces, and the ones that we worked over today. A lot of people squeeze with their arms and they forget [to use] their back and how much force they can get from there."
Watch the MightyCast episode in its entirety:
Meanwhile, Kade Ruotolo's destructive squeeze was fully displayed at ONE 167, where he choked out Blake Cooper in his mixed martial arts debut.
Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch the full replay of ONE 167 on demand, free of charge.
Demetrious Johnson shares what it feels like getting choked by Kade Ruotolo
After training with the Ruotolo twins, Kade and Tye, Demetrious Johnson learned firsthand why the twins are two of the best grapplers on the planet right now.
In the same podcast episode, 'Mighty Mouse' gave a hilarious comment about being on the receiving end of the twins' signature move, the D'Arce choke.
The MMA all-time great said:
"What is this D'Arce? You guys do it. I felt that damn D'Arce today. It felt like I was getting pulled in by the f***ing Swamp Thing."