"We are trying to tick every box" - Kade Ruotolo says he's fully prepared for Ahmed Mujtaba war at ONE 169
ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is leaving no stone unturned as he steps on the global stage of ONE Championship for his second MMA fight on Nov. 8.
At ONE 169 inside the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the American superstar looks to take his resume in the discipline to 2-0. He faces Pakistani standout Ahmed Mujtaba in a lightweight fixture.
On his preparation for this fight, the 21-year-old told MMA Junkie recently that he's working on every situation imaginable, be it on the feet or the canvas, to prep himself for what 'Wolverine' brings to the table.
Kade Ruotolo shared:
"For this fight, we are trying to tick every box this time around. We're getting prepared everywhere."
In Mujtaba, the Atos representative and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will be up against a foe with a complete MMA arsenal packed with knockout power and a good grappling base.
The 31-year-old Pakistan fighter owns seven finishes from nine wins, two coming against Rahul Raju (knockout) and Abraao Amorim (submission) coming inside the ONE Circle.
Still, Ruotolo remains confident that he can get the job done, maintain his perfect slate in the promotion, and take another massive step to the lightweight MMA crown when they lock horns at ONE 169 on Nov. 8.
Watch the full interview here:
Kade Ruotolo calls for a 'real war' vs Ahmed Mujtaba
Though he'd want to enjoy another quick night out, Kade Ruotolo hopes that Ahmed Mujtaba will give him a proper fight inside the Mecca of Muay Thai next month.
To the young superstar, racking experience is second to none. As such, he wants to get a feel of what it'd be like to be in a real scrap against Mujtaba, which should come in handy if he collides for gold down the road.
In the same interview, he added:
"I want to gain the experience in the [Circle], and that way when, you know, down the line, when I'm fighting for the belt, and I'm in a real war, I'd already been through some of those scraps for sure."
ONE 169 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America live in U.S. primetime on November 8.