"Just make them uncomfortable" - Kade Ruotolo shares the best way to defend against gnarly leg locks

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States is one of the best jiu-jitsu fighters in the world today, pound for pound, at just 21 years of age.

But there was a point early in his career that he had a weakness -- he had difficulty defending against leg locks. So he and his twin brother Tye Ruotolo, the reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling king, locked up at home and trained all day and night to make sure this issue was resolved.

Now, the Ruotolo twins consider themselves impregnable, with an iron-clad defense of leg locks. No one can catch them, according to the 21-year-old star.

Speaking in a recent guest appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Ruotolo talked about defending against leg locks.

The lightweight submission grappling king said:

"Long story short, yeah. Just make them uncomfortable. There are some little secrets and tricks. Sometimes going into the leg lock is better than exiting it. Because a lot of times when you exit it, it makes it tighter. It's weird little tricks like that, kicking deeper into the leg."

That being said, Ruotolo won't have to worry about leg locks in his upcoming fight, at least not in the traditional sense.

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Kade Ruotolo set to make pro MMA debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167

Lightweight submission grappling world titleholder Kade Ruotolo is scheduled to make his professional mixed martial arts debut in a few weeks.

On Prime Video, the 21-year-old American superstar will lock horns with countryman Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga. The event will be broadcast live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 7th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.