Kade Ruotolo wishes Nicolas Vigna “speedy recovery” following a valiant performance against him at ONE 171

On Feb. 20, the world saw Kade Ruotolo keep his pristine MMA record spotless by securing yet another first-round submission win, this time against Nicolas Vigna. This makes his third consecutive first-round finish in his young MMA career.

But despite the overwhelming win and the mind-boggling $50,000 bonus in his pocket, Kade Ruotolo hasn't forgotten about his opponent.

Speaking with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post in a ONE 171: Qatar post-fight interview, Kade Ruotolo expressed his admiration for Vigna's hardiness and concern about potential injuries:

"I was definitely a hundred percent surprised at his durability. The first heel hook and the knee, I felt the ankle pop really bad. And I was like 'oohh,' I hate that feeling. And then the knee, of course, as well. We just wish him a speedy recovery, hopefully, he's not too banged up."

Watch the full interview below:

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Kade Ruotolo thought he had Nicolas Vigna sorted with gnarly heel hook at ONE 171: "I felt a couple of nasty pops"

Kade Ruotolo brought ONE 171 another showcase of technical brilliance with his third first-round submission victory against Nicolas Vigna, but the grappling prodigy is not shy to admit that his latest win didn't come as quickly as he expected:

"That head kick that landed out first. I saw it and I knew I caught it. I saw the leg entry and I just had to go for it. I felt a couple of nasty pops on the ankle lock... I hope his ankle's all good. But yeah, he's a tough guy for sure. I'm surprised he didn't tap at the first heel hook."

The 22-year-old grappler had Vigna in a tight heel hook that had the audience holding their breaths waiting for the tap. Vigna proved his resilience by refusing to tap despite several pops that had Ruotolo internally wincing.

Vigna eventually succumbed to an arm triangle, but the Argentinian earned the admiration of the crowd despite the loss.