Kade Ruotolo discussed what his team and family want him to improve before making his MMA debut.
On June 9, Ruotolo continued to dominate the ONE lightweight submission grappling division by defending his world title for the second time. Shortly after having his hand raised, the 20-year-old phenom told Mitch Chilson that he wants to focus on his potential transition to MMA.
During the ONE Fight Night 11 post-fight press conference, Ruotolo was asked about MMA and had this to say about not wanting to be a one-dimensional fighter:
“A lot of my family, friends, and coaches around me are telling me to do it the smart way and make sure that you don't have to rely on my jiujitsu. So you could maybe sleep someone on the feet and if you have to use jiujitsu, use it.”
Kade Ruotolo added Tommy Langaker to his ONE Championship resume, which features Shinya Aoki, Uali Kurzhev, and Matheus Gabriel. The 20-year-old didn’t get through Langaker without a tough test, as the world title challenger was arguably winning most of the match before a late catch (dangerous submission attempt) by Ruotolo.
It’s unclear if Ruotolo is guaranteed to compete in MMA next. If he decides to defend his submission grappling world title again, he could find himself in an immediate rematch against Langaker. Only time will tell what’s next for one of the fastest-rising superstars in ONE.
For those that missed Kade Ruotolo’s latest world title defense, the replay of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video can be seen for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.