Kade Ruotolo had already set the BJJ world on fire before deciding to transition into MMA. After defeating Blake Cooper at ONE 167 in his first professional MMA bout, Ruotolo is on top of the world. The win has given him newfound confidence before he returns to defend the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, September 6.
“I feel a bit invincible as far as, like, a toughness scale. When you start taking punches and knees and elbows, it’s just like jiu-jitsu becomes so easy – or easier. Those accidental kicks or that collar tie that slaps you in the face or whatever, it’s nothing compared to MMA. I think it’s tougher,” Ruotolo told ONE.
In submission grappling, Ruotolo admitted he could go for more high-risk submissions. However, with the danger of strikes, he was more aware that it could lead to trouble. The more cautious approach was one of the few ways his dynamic grappling was altered for his entry into MMA in ONE Championship.
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“In MMA, you don’t want to be rolling as much, taking as much risk, because you really don’t want to be on bottom. It really sucks to get turned over and all the work you put into get on top in the match just goes away. So I think that’s a little bit more of a presence than in jiu-jitsu. In jiu-jitsu, you go for D’Arces and whatever all day and keep the scramble going. That was the only way my game kind of changed for MMA, which is making sure I don’t take any sloppy submissions or any stupid decisions to end up on bottom,” the Atos BJJ star described.
The Ruotolo brothers are known for their aggressive, attacking style. Even though Kade admitted to being more cautious, it doesn’t mean he won’t attack when he sees an opening. Fans should still expect the same aggression from the Southern California native.
“We love taking our opponents down, pass and finishing, things like that. So, obviously, we still have all those pillars instilled into us, but, you know, we’re never going to forget about our leg locks. The leg locks are there. Or, if I am on my back, I probably am going to do a little bit more than just the average half guard and figure out some way to get on the leg or get up,” Ruotolo stated.
When it comes to how the MMA game has evolved, Ruotolo described the stagnation of fighting off of their backs. It is one of the many differences between jiu-jitsu and MMA. Instead, The Atos BJJ star described the grappling as submission wrestling, not BJJ.
“I’d say most MMA fighters aren’t too fond of fighting off their back. And, if they are, it’s very old-school, traditional, you know, Lucas Lepri half-guard kind of things to get up. You’re not really seeing any MMA fighters use those guards that we see on an everyday basis in sport jiu-jitsu … De La Riva and X-guard, and things like that,” the American said.
ONE 168: Denver airs live on Prime Video on Friday, September 6. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
