“You used to get away with being a specialist” - Kade Ruotolo explains how important wrestling has become in modern-day BJJ
Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States urges all of his fellow jiujiteiros to prioritize working on their wrestling skills if they want to get better at BJJ.
The 21-year-old phenom says he has been wrestling with twin brother Tye, the ONE welterweight submission grappling king, since they were kids, and that it's their wrestling that has proven to be the secret ingredient to their success.
The Ruotolo twins of jiu-jitsu are known for their unorthodox grappling style, which features explosive wrestling techniques like takedowns and slams.
Ruotolo told ONE Championship in a recent interview:
"It’s almost like catch wrestling is what we’re starting to see it lean towards at ADCC. You used to get away with being a specialist, being a guard player, this or that, but every ADCC, we see more and more how important wrestling is becoming."
Kade Ruotolo is set to make his professional mixed martial arts debut against fellow American Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video.
The event broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action on U.S. primetime, live and absolutely free on Friday, June 7th, only on Amazon Prime Video.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.
Kade Ruotolo doubles down on the importance of wrestling in jiu-jitsu: "It could be your demise"
As he prepares for his pro-MMA debut, 21-year-old jiu-jitsu black belt world champion Kade Ruotolo has stressed the importance of wrestling in the grappling world, especially in his own skill set.
Ruotolo told ONE Championship:
"If you don’t have good wrestling, it could be your demise, right? Catch wrestling is a really good way to train for a format like ADCC, where you’re really focused on wrestling but still adding your submissions."