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Kade Ruotolo would love to run it back with Shinya Aoki, but under MMA rules. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy made his ONE Championship debut last Friday and beat the Japanese star via unanimous decision in their submission grappling match at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs Vienot.
Speaking in his post-fight virtual media interview, the 19-year-old laid down the gauntlet for the former lightweight champ, saying:
“If he’s up for it, I’d love to [face Aoki in an MMA fight]. That’d be an amazing first match for me to step foot in the MMA scene. I felt pretty dominant here tonight. And I feel like I would have the same result in MMA.” [h/t AsianMMA.com]
The youngster is now riding an eight-fight winning streak on the jiu-jitsu mats. His twin brother Tye also impressed on his debut, submitting Garry Tonon with a D'Arce choke with less than two minutes gone.
The brothers have been training in the art since they were three years old and both emphasised their keeness to get started on their careers in professional MMA soon.
Kade Ruotolo "disappointed" not to finish Aoki
Ruotolo also spoke about his disappointment at not getting a finish against 'The Baka Survivor'. The American dominated proceedings, however, and came close to finishing the contest with a buggy choke in the latter stages.
He also delighted onlookers with a moment that was reminiscent of Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis' showtime kick, using the case to spring off on his way to getting a takedown.
Discussing his performance, Ruotolo said:
“That was a huge, huge win for me. Shinya is a very tough opponent, one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners to ever do it in the MMA scene and jiu-jitsu scene. I thought for sure I was going to get the submission. I guess that is why I’m a bit disappointed at the moment. But at the same time, there were a couple of cool moments in the match.”
Taking on the former champ this soon might be a bridge too far for a fighter making his MMA debut. However, Kade Ruotolo seems to think he has what it takes to get the victory.
We'll see if Shinya Aoki answers the call.
