(Exclusive) Kade Ruotolo targets "special year" after third MMA bout at ONE 171

The grappling phenom appears to be going all-in on his MMA career.

(ONE Championship)

Kade Ruotolo is set to kick off 2025 with his third MMA bout following an incredible 2024, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré spoke with the 22-year-old before he squares off with Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171: Qatar.

Matchup With Vigna & Fighting Experience

Ruotolo made his MMA debut last year and defeated both his opponents inside the first round. Now set to face an undefeated finisher in Vigna, the decorated grappler is excited to get some more fight time in and showcase the skills he’s been working on.

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“Obviously, he’s gonna be looking to try and clip me on the way coming in. I’m super excited for it, I love [that] every fight’s been a little bit different. My first guy was a southpaw who was shorter than me, and then next one was [orthodox], about the same height. And now I got a guy like 6’1”, a little bit taller than me, a little bit lankier. So it’s cool, we’ve got different styles in every fight. I’m excited to try and solve this puzzle.”

Kade Ruotolo will compete in MMA for the third time at ONE 171. / (ONE Championship)

“I feel like there was an exchange in that first [Blake] Cooper match when I first grabbed him, I feel like I probably could have ended the match there and finished out the grappling exchange and finished him there. But I think I ended up going for like a high kick or something off the clinch instead...I wanted to feel the striking, not just go in there and do what I do anyways, just grapple, so next fight I still am a little bit nervous. So it was good just to move around a little bit more, and I’ll at least have to block some punches, block some kicks, get a little of my experience up. The last fight we didn’t get to do as much, luckily that right hand got him sooner than later, but same story for this one. I think the goal – I don’t wanna just try to maybe grab him as fast as I can."

"I Don't Know If I Can Top That Year"

Last year saw Ruotolo defend his ONE submission grappling lightweight belt and win the -80kg division at the first Craig Jones Invitational in addition to other grappling matchups and his first two MMA victories.

Kade Ruotolo currently holds the ONE Championship submission grappling lightweight title. / (ONE Championship)

“It’s gonna be very difficult, and I don’t know if I can top that year as far as a martial arts year. I mean, that was kind of my goal this past year, it wasn’t so much to kill one side of martial arts, or go ‘Oh, I’m gonna commit to the gi, or I’m gonna commit to no gi.’ For me, last year was really to try to compete at the highest level in all of ‘em, and that was what I did last year...It was basically to compete at gi, no gi, MMA, all at the highest level accomplished. So that was kind of like a bucket list thing of mine to do all in the same year. So I was really stoked to get that done. And this year, I don't know if it’s gonna happen, its possible...I don’t have a world championship in the gi, so that’s definitely, no matter what, something I’ve gotta get done. It’s just that this MMA stuff has been taking over my life a bit.

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Balancing MMA & Grappling Careers

Ruotolo certainly isn’t the only ONE Championship athlete trying to balance careers in more than one combat sport, but with his focus continually shifting to MMA the former ADCC champion also values the fact that he’s competing with an organization where he can see some of the world’s best athletes compete in their respective disciplines.

“For me, it’s been just kind of prioritizing my goals and understanding exactly what I want for the year, and then kind of going backwards from that. For me, last year, like I said my goal is really to become one of the best, if not the best, martials artists of the world. Not in just one profession, just overall. I’ve got a love for all martial arts, I think all martial arts are so sick. So that was pretty much my goal, and this year that goal has changed a bit, predominantly more towards MMA. I feel like I really have it in me to get to the top of the sport in MMA, the same way I have in jiu-jitsu. I’m kind of just really fixated on that, ‘cause I think if I put everything I have, a solid year into MMA, I believe I’ll be at the top of the mountain for sure.”

Kade Ruotolo during his MMA debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167. / (ONE Championship)

“The last time I went and just watched a [ONE] show, I didn’t realize how special it was...I was there for Rodtang [vs.] Superlek, that first shin collision sounded like two metal bats, just two people swinging them as hard as they can. I was like 'You don't hear that type of sound in MMA.' There’s definitely a different level of gnarliness to the Muay Thai and the kickboxing, so it’s a pleasure to watch and to have all those different professions, jiu-jitsu, all of it in one night. For a spectator and someone who’s a fan of the sport of martial arts in general, it’s a really special thing to see. There’s always legends coming up. In the Muay Thai realm, I love Superbon. He’s like a super cool guy, and obviously his technique is just out of this world. There’s a lot of cool guys on the ONE Championship roster, but that was one of the homies for sure.”

"We Do Belong In MMA Just As Much As Jiu-Jitsu"

Outright topping the incredible 2024 he had might be a big ask, but Ruotolo expects that both he and his twin brother Tye are going to make some significant waves in MMA this year.

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“I always have a thing where I always love to just prove people wrong, it’s probably not even a healthy thing, I probably shouldn’t even care. But I think a lot of people have the least amount of faith in me in the MMA world, so that’s the world that I wanna show them up the most and do the most in right now...If I keep everything up and I stay on the projection that I am - alongside my brother. You know, my brother is coming back from a knee injury, but people don't realize he’s – it’s frustrating, because I’ve been putting all this work into MMA and all this time into my hands, Muay Thai and everything, and then I’ll train with my brother and he’s like just as good as me. I’m like ‘Dude, you’re not even training’…So Tye is gonna tear some people’s heads off this year in the MMA world, and also in jiu-jitsu. So I think for both of us it’s gonna be a really special year, and just trying to prove people wrong that we do belong in MMA just as much as jiu-jitsu.”

Tye Ruotolo also competes for ONE Championship and plans to make his own MMA debut this year. / (ONE Championship)

“You [fans] are the ones that make all of this possible and all of it worth it. Some of them most prized moments that are stuck in my mind are from you guys, the cheers and the hollers you see from ADCC - even the ones that aren't there, but the support online and everything. Just seriously, super thankful for each and every one of you guys, and you guys keep us motivated to keep going out and putting on performances, so thank you to the fans.”

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