WATCH: Kade Ruotolo goes from snapping Uali Kurzhev's ankle to checking up on him in wholesome exchange

The crowning glory of reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo happened in October 2021 at ONE on Prime Video 3 inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ruotolo was pitted against Uali Kurzhev for the inaugural world title, and ONE Championship recently posted the wholesome moment and great sportsmanship gesture from both BJJ savants, as they captioned it with:

"Kade Ruotolo ROCKED that heel hook! 🤯 The American star puts his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Championship on the line against flyweight king Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver! Who will leave with the gold? 🤩 @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu"

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In the video, Ruotolo was seen snapping Kurzhev's ankle with a heel hook submission that forced the Russian to tap in less than five minutes during their championship clash.

But right after the fight, the 21-year-old BJJ savant quickly checked on Kurzhev and confirmed that he was good despite the injury and defeat he received. Since this victory, Ruotolo added five more victories under his record with three successful world title defenses and a successful MMA debut.

Kade Ruotolo to defend ONE world title for the fourth time at ONE 168: Denver

Despite having a dream MMA debut last June 7, where he scored a first-round submission win over Blake Cooper at ONE 167, Ruotolo will shift his focus back to the art of eight limbs for his next fight.

The Atos representative will welcome the challenge of ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver, as he puts his championship on the line for the fourth time.

A win for Ruotolo could prove that he's one of the best pound-for-pound submission artists in the world today.

ONE 168: Denver will air live from the Ball Arena at U.S. primetime on Sept. 6. Tickets for the event are now available on sale on Ticketmaster.

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi