"We have so much fight in us" - Kade Ruotolo thrilled to finally 'deck the guy' in long-awaited MMA debut at ONE 167
Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States can't wait to throw hands. And soon, he will get the chance to do just that.
The 21-year-old BJJ phenom is set to make his highly anticipated professional mixed martial arts debut in June. Ruotolo is set to face fellow American Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video.
Ruotolo is fresh off an explosive performance at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video last weekend. The event took place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, April 6th.
The reigning lightweight champ took care of business against his toughest challenger yet in Brazil's 'Chico' Francisco Lo. The 21-year-old submitted his opponent with a technical rear-naked choke with the arm in.
As successful as he has been as a grappler, Ruotolo admits there's a lingering itch that needs to be scratched in terms of making his MMA transition.
He told veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst and former athlete Mitch 'The Dragon' Chilson in the ring after his fight:
"I love jiu-jitsu with all my heart. We've been doing it our entire lives. But I know we have so much fight in us that needs to be let out. Jiu-jitsu rules, I love them. But I'm excited to really maybe deck [a] guy when I'm on top instead of trying to pass."
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch a replay of ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on-demand via Amazon Prime Video.
Kade Ruotolo finishes Francisco Lo with the 'Ruotolo-tine'
Submission grappling ace Kade Ruotolo is something else. The 21-year-old phenom revealed that he had been working on the move he finished Francisco Lo with at ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video.
Ruotolo caught Lo with a technical rear-naked choke with the arm in. Later on, he dubbed the move the 'Ruotolo-tine'.
He told Mitch Chilson:
"It's like rear-naked choke, an arm triangle -- I don't even have a proper name for it. But I love it! The Ruotolo-tine. That's what we're going with."