"You just want to let it all out" - Kade Ruotolo admits feeling 'nervous energy' in sensational MMA debut vs Blake Cooper
Jiu-jitsu superstar Kade Ruotolo admitted feeling nervous before stepping into the Circle for the first time at ONE 167.
Ruotolo entered the foray with high expectations last Friday in Bangkok, after having months of training in Muay Thai and wrestling. Although he was ultra confident in himself and his skillsets, he described feeling a 'nervous energy' backstage, as he waited for his turn to fight Blake Cooper.
In his ONE 167 in-Circle interview with Mitch Chilson, Ruotolo explained:
"Like I said, it's my debut so there's a little bit of that nervous energy, for sure. I was feeling really sharp in the back room with the boys. As soon as you get in here, you just want to scrap, you just want to let it all out."
Fortunately, the pre-fight jitters didn't have an ill effect on his performance. Ruotolo knew his way around the Circle as if he had a few years' experience in MMA.
He understood when was the perfect time to strike, when to defend Cooper's offense, and when to level change. And as soon as Ruotolo took control of the back, it was the beginning of the end for his fellow rival.
The Atos standout was awarded the second $50,000 performance bonus of the night after submitting Cooper in the dying seconds of the first round via a rear-naked choke.
The replay of ONE 167 is available free on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Kade Ruotolo finally crosses MMA off his bucket list after ONE 167 performance
Kade Ruotolo fulfilled a lifelong dream by venturing into his first MMA match on June 7.
The ADCC World Champion set everyone at ease when he overpowered Blake Cooper in his octagon debut. Even though it was the first time that the fans got to see him put on the MMA gloves, Kade always knew that his transition from BJJ to MMA was going to be an inevitable move.
Speaking to ONE, Kade previously stated:
"We've grown up watching MMA. Even though I knew I had to do what I had to do in jiu-jitsu first, it always excited me that one day I was gonna be there. I knew for sure. It was a bucket list thing. I had to fight MMA."