WATCH: Lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo rocks then submits Ahmed Mujtaba with trademark D’Arce
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo continued to impress in his MMA campaign after another quick win at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. Reug Reug on Nov. 8.
The 21-year-old California fighter defeated Pakistani Ahmed Mujtaba in the opening round of their featured lightweight MMA match at the stacked event that took place at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, winning by submission by way of D'Arce choke.
Kade Ruotolo tested his stand-up game in the early goings of their scheduled three-rounder, eventually paying dividends after he landed a solid overhand right that immediately dropped 'Wolverine' to the canvas.
He eventually jumped on the opportunity for a ground and pound, which had Mujtaba fighting for survival. Unfortunately for the Quetta native, as he tried to fight his way out of the tough spot he was in, he opened himself up for a D'Arce choke from the grappling ace, slumping to the defeat thereafter.
ONE Championship uploaded highlights of the showdown between Ruotolo and Mujtaba on its official YouTube channel for fans to relive.
Check out the video below:
The win over Mujtaba at ONE 169 took Kade Ruotolo's MMA record to 2-0, following his first-round submission win over fellow American fighter Blake Cooper in his debut in June. In also doing MMA, the Atos standout said he is trying to expand his horizon as a fighter and continue to test himself.
The full replay of ONE 169 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Kade Ruotolo collects another $50,000 performance bonus at ONE 169
While he continues to impress with his MMA development, Kade Ruotolo also collected another $50,000 performance bonus for his victory at ONE 169 on Nov. 8 from the promotion's Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
The incentive was the sixth in eight matches for Ruotolo, and four straight, since making his promotional debut in May 2022. The money he has been getting from the bonuses, along with those won by his twin brother and fellow ONE fighter Tye Ruotolo, is being channeled to, among other things, to the construction and improvement of their training facility in Costa Rica.
Apart from Ruotolo, also winning the $50,000 performance bonus at ONE 169 were atomweight Ayaka Miura of Japan and Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida of Brazil in their own first-round MMA submission victories.