Kade Ruotolo is ready to test his elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills against anyone in the world.

At ONE on Prime Video 3 this Friday, the 19-year-old BJJ black belt will face one of his most unique opponents to date – four-time Sambo World Champion Uali Kurzhev. Adding to the high stakes, the inaugural ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title will be on the line.

With his extensive background competing at the highest levels of international judo and sambo – two martial arts that focus on takedowns – the Russian could present some serious challenges to Ruotolo, particularly when both grapplers are in the standing position.

But fresh off his spectacular, history-making run through the ADCC World Championships, Ruotolo is bursting with confidence.

Kade Ruotolo will rely on his offensive Jiu-Jitsu against Kurzhev

Despite Kurzhev’s takedown ability, it won’t cause the American teenage sensation to change his typical game plan in the least.

“So no matter who it is, if I were to fight Khabib [Nurmagomedov], my goal is to take him down and submit. You know, pass and submit,” Ruotolo said. 

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“It’s always the same for everybody. And the same for my brother. For me, that’s always just been the most realistic situation.”

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The Andre Galvao-trained black belt used that same exact strategy throughout his ADCC run, as he submitted all four of his world-class opponents on his way to becoming the youngest-ever competitor to capture gold at the prestigious grappling tournament.

Ruotolo’s game plan for Uali Kurzhev

Under ONE Championship’s submission-only rule set, which prioritizes aggression and legitimate submission attempts, Ruotolo wouldn’t necessarily be penalized for pulling guard, particularly if he attacks from that position.

But playing guard is just not something the grappling prodigy prefers to do. Instead, both he and his twin brother, Tye Ruotolo, like to take the top position and apply relentless pressure, constantly hunting submissions like their trademark D’Arce choke or trying to pass the guard.

Eventually, that constant pressure breaks opponents, forcing them to give up positions and submissions.

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It’s this approach, says Ruotolo, that reflects real, fight-ready jiu-jitsu.

“I always try to bring it to a real fight or to MMA, things like that,” he added. 

“That’s going to be my game plan and my strategy, not to crack on guard. I love playing guard, and I love guard. However, it doesn’t translate as much into MMA and things like that.”