Kade Ruotolo Reveals How “16 Years of Preparation” Led to the Biggest Accomplishment of His Life

Add us on Google

Souvik Roy

Oct 31, 2022 | 4:51 AM EDT

Kade Ruotolo Reveals How “16 Years of Preparation” Led to the Biggest Accomplishment of His Life

Add us on Google

Souvik Roy

Oct 31, 2022 | 4:51 AM EDT

It’s been quite a year for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom Kade Ruotolo.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

In September, the 19-year-old grappler earned five submissions on the trot to become the youngest-ever ADCC World Champion.

At ONE on Prime Video 3 this past Friday, October 21, Ruotolo showed the same intelligence and aggression. He left the Circle with the inaugural ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title at the expense of Uali Kurzhev.

The American dynamo is pleased with his incredible success, and he credits the amount of time he has put into his craft for it.

Kade Ruotolo’s dedication got him this success

Ruotolo stated, “I think just 16 years of preparation my entire life, you know, I was born and raised on these mats pretty much, and it’s all I know. So just you know, I’m just so thankful for this,”.

The latest chapter in the storied rivalry between BJJ and sambo played out when the two grappling stars went to war inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both wasted no time trying to gain the upper hand, and it resulted in intense action from the opening bell.

Ruotolo pressured his foe with sweeps and takedowns, but Kurzhev fought it off and attempted to return fire. The Russian could only do so for so long, however, and at the 4:26 mark, Ruotolo sealed his victory with an inside heel hook.

Economic prosperity also followed Kade Ruotolo

With that, he became the promotion’s first-ever lightweight submission grappling World Champion, and he scored a cool US$50,000 performance bonus in the process – both of which stand as two of Ruotolo’s greatest achievements.

“This is one of my biggest accomplishments yet. It’s right there at the top, it’s got to be,” he said.

Ruotolo also iterated, “To me, ONE is the biggest platform of martial arts. And you know, winning this belt for ONE is right there with my ADCC title. I’m not going to put one over the other, It’s right there with it, and I’m so relieved, so thankful.”

Written by

Souvik Roy

1,315 Articles

The coveted scrap between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was when I realized the passion for combat sports within my family. My interest in combat sports began watching scripted pro wrestling shows. It was my father who directed me towards combat sports and it wasn’t until the late 2010s that I discovered the world of MMA and the UFC. Like many of you, I too, tuned in for the infamous Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor bout live on October 6, 2018. Being an ardent fan of the UFC (and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier), I was always looking to have conversations about the same with others. But to my disappointment, I hardly found any followers of the sports to interact with. So I took it upon myself to do my part in popularizing the thrill and the agony behind the purest form of unarmed combat. At EssentiallySports, I try to bring the readers closer to the athletes and focus my coverage on exploring the human side of these martial artists. I’m a musician during my time free from reporting MMA. I operate as the lead vocalist of a rock band that aims to make their mark among the audiences with their original alternative-hard rock songs. You can hit me up at-

Know more

Edited by

Rohini Kottu