‘I Feel A Bit Invincible’ – How MMA Is Making Kade Ruotolo An Even More Terrifying Grappler
Kade Ruotolo has long been one of the planet’s most feared submission grapplers – and he’s only getting tougher, meaner, and harder to submit with his recent foray into the world of elite mixed martial arts.
Fresh off his successful MMA debut in June at ONE 167, the reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion will soon return to defend his grappling gold against fellow American superstar Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci on September 6 in U.S. primetime at ONE 168: Denver.
Set to go down in front of a packed house at Ball Arena, that contest marks one of the biggest and most significant matchups in the history of the sport, with both men being current ONE World Champions and each regarded as pound-for-pound BJJ greats.
Still just 21 years old, Ruotolo is continuing to evolve as a grappler and believes his time spent training in MMA has added an extra element of grit and toughness to his game.
The Californian spoke to onefc.com about how MMA is molding him into an even more dangerous ground fighter:
“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 shined in his highly anticipated MMA debut, showcasing a natural comfortability in striking before scoring a highlight-reel submission win over Hawaiian slugger Blake Cooper.
That performance was typical of what fans have come to expect from any Ruotolo match, as he was aggressive in pursuit of the finish.
However, he says that his MMA grappling is actually less aggressive and less risky than his BJJ game:
“In MMA, you don’t wanna 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 in to 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 kinda changed for MMA, which is making sure I don’t take any sloppy submissions or any stupid decisions to end up on bottom.”
While Ruotolo’s MMA grappling might be a bit more conservative, he is still a BJJ specialist at his core with the planet’s most explosive submission-hunting game.
Like his twin brother, reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo, the American loves to secure the takedown and go to work from the top position. But that doesn’t mean he’s not comfortable attacking from his back.
Kade explained:
“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 gonna forget about our leg locks. The leg locks are there. Or, if I am on my back, I probably am gonna do a little bit more than just the average half guard and figure out some way to get on the leg or get up.”
Kade Ruotolo Details How MMA Fighters Grapple
As he looks to conquer the world of MMA just as he did BJJ, Kade Ruotolo has found himself grappling more and more with MMA fighters.
After a lifetime of training and competing in jiu-jitsu, he’s picked up on some key differences between mixed martial artists and pure grapplers.
Notably, he says that mixed martial artists tend to possess a more pared-down, meat-and-potatoes approach to playing guard – not unlike BJJ legend Lucas Lepri:
“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.”
Adding strikes to the equation means that most MMA fighters will avoid the more exotic guards, instead looking to work back to their feet or trying to achieve top position.
With that in mind, Ruotolo believes the majority of the grappling in MMA is closer to wrestling than to pure BJJ:
“I would say it’s almost like submission wrestling. It’s how I would describe most MMA fighters’ games.”
