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ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is one of the most exciting grapplers to watch in jiu-jitsu today.
His combination of blitzing speed, frenetic pace, insane athelticism and near-perfect technique is second to none in the sport. Just look at his dazzling ONE Championship debut when he ragdolled and handlily beat a living legend in Shinya Aoki.
In a video posted by ONE Championship, Kade Ruotolo talked about his highlight-reel back-take off the wall that not many would've seen before. It was insane and Ruotolo gave us some interesting insights into how it happened.
"Kade Ruotolo breaks it down 🤓 The American phenom defends the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title against Matheus Gabriel at ONE on Prime Video 5! 🏆 @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu"
Here's the video:
The 19-year-old jiu-jitsu prodigy gave a detailed step-by-step recount on how he pulled off the insane jumping-spinning off-the-wall back-take. Here's what he said:
"That wall jump [in] the Shinya [Aoki] match was definitely something special. I remember clinching up with him, I looked to my right, for whatever reason, I just seen the post there, I just set it off and it worked out in my favor."
One of the most frightening aspects of Ruotolo's game is his creativity. He seems to be making new moves on the fly. With his insane athleticism and marvelous technique, he can put into action anything his brilliant mind comes up with.
Kade Ruotolo defends his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against Matheus Gabriel at ONE on Prime Video 5
Kade Ruotolo returns to action to defend his newly won ONE lightweight submission grappling world title this weekend at ONE on Prime Video 5.
The youngest ADCC gold medalist and ONE's inaugural lightweight submission grappling king will face multi-time BJJ world champion Matheus Gabriel in front of a rabid crowd in Manila, Philippines. The event is live and free for North American audiences on a Prime Video subscription.
Back on October 21, Kade Ruotolo was crowned ONE’s second submission grappling world champion after his fellow BJJ genius Mikey Musumeci won his own a few months back. In one of the most dominant performances we've ever seen on the mat, the BJJ prodigy swiftly defeated sambo specialist Uali Kurzhev with a heel hook.
Matheus Gabriel is a formidable challenger and a worthy first world title challenger to Ruotolo. He won gold medals at the Pans, Worlds and Brazilian nationals and has become known for being near-impossible to submit.
Gabriel has only been tapped once in competition and will be an interesting puzzle to solve for Ruotolo, given ONE's unique submission-centric ruleset.
