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ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is the least bit fazed about getting punched in the face in his upcoming MMA debut. After all, he grew up with twin brother Tye Ruotolo, so getting socked was just a daily occurrence in their household growing up.
As the 21-year-old BJJ phenom recalls, he was basically rolling hard with his sibling every single day. Those violent skirmishes even continued off the mats, as the rowdy boys would often resort to fist fights over the simplest things.
While he wasn't aware of it at the time, Kade Ruotolo admits those petty squabbles have prepared him for his long-awaited mixed martial arts transition against Blake Cooper at ONE 167 on June 7 at Impact Arena in Bangkok.
The Atos affiliate shared in a guest appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast:
"The only reason why [I'm this tough] is because of my brother. Growing up, we've been doing this our entire lives. It wasn't just jiu-jitsu, we were trying to kill each other every day. Healthy competition. The amount of fist fights we had. We probably created bare-knuckle. Just non-stop scraps. It really toughened us up."
Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live in US primetime, free of charge on June 7.
Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview in its entirety:
Kade Ruotolo says "the fear button" is non-existent for him
One of the biggest obstacles for grapplers transitioning to MMA is learning not just to attack but also to defend against strikes.
Kade Ruotolo, though, says it won't be an issue against Cooper. After all, he's been sharpening his hands all these years while keeping his status as one of the best BJJ athletes in the world.
The youngest ADCC world champion said in a ONE Championship interview:
"My brother and I grew up scrapping our whole lives, so the fear button isn't really there when it comes to striking. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I've been finding more success and learning every day, so I'm confident."
