Kade Ruotolo

Kade Ruotolo was labeled a prodigy from a young age, and he has delivered on that promise by becoming one of his generation’s greatest submission grappling competitors.

Along with his twin brother Tye, the duo started learning the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at three years old when their father took them to their first class. The young brothers fell in love with the sport immediately, and their aptitude was also evident right away.

Kade wasn’t even in his teenage years when he and his twin began tearing up the BJJ scene. In 2013, they started training with the famed Mendes brothers at AOJ Academy to pursue grappling at an elite level. And finally in 2017, the Ruotolo boys switched to Atos and have been under the tutelage of the legendary Andre Galvao ever since.

It didn’t take long for the teenage sensations to reach the highest levels of BJJ and submission grappling. Kade won the IBJJF World Championship at the brown-belt level in December 2021, and Galvao awarded the twins their black belts just a few days later.

Months after receiving their black belts, the Ruotolo brothers made their way to ONE Championship, and Kade’s debut performance proved that he would be a future star in the promotion.

Kade secured a dominant unanimous decision win over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki at ONE 157 in May 2022. The match was seen as a clash of generations, and the American star showed “Tobikan Judan” that his style of BJJ is one rooted in revolutionary techniques.

After his victory over Aoki, Kade competed in the 2022 ADCC World Championships and became the youngest World Champion in the competition’s history. In the final, Kade took on Mica Galvao and submitted the Brazilian with a heel hook to capture gold in the -77-kilogram division of the prestigious tournament.

Fresh from his ADCC triumph, Kade made history once again when he submitted Russia’s Uali Kurzhev for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title in October 2022. 

And now, with a World Title defense under his belt, Kade puts his gold on the line against Tommy Langaker in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video.