“They were always trying to keep us well-rounded” – Kade Ruotolo credits parents for instilling the right mindset

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo says his parents always strived to make sure that he and his brother were well-rounded in all aspects of life.

With a perfect 4-0 record under the ONE Championship banner, Kade Ruotolo will look to add another impressive win to his resume on Friday, January 28 when he steps inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan at ONE 165.

In the co-main event of the evening, Ruotolo will put his 26 pounds of gold on the line against a familiar foe in Tommy Langaker.

Ahead of their highly anticipated rematch, Ruotolo spoke about his upbringing during a recent appearance on The Fighter and The Kid podcast with Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen. He said:

“My parents were always really good at just kind of making sure we are well-versed everywhere,” he said. “They were always trying to keep us well-rounded, even in martial arts.”

Kade Ruotolo’s friends were afraid of his intimidating father

Continuing his conversation, Ruotolo revealed that as he was growing up, many of his friends found his father to be quite intimidating, something Kade and his fellow ONE world champion brother, Tye Ruotolo, could never quite understand. He said:

“All of our friends when growing up were like, ‘Your dad is so scary, like he's so intimidating.’ But we just never see it, you know? You don't see it in your pops,” he added.

In his last outing, Kade Ruotolo earned a closely contested decision victory over Tommy Langaker to retain his ONE world title. Following the 10-minute chess match, fight fans were immediately clamoring for a rematch, with many suggesting that the Norwegian submission standout could potentially dethrone Ruotolo.

On January 28, we will fight out who truly is the best lightweight grappler on the planet.

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will be available via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.