Despite “mistakes on the feet”, Kade Ruotolo wants to return to the MMA cage

A World Lightweight Submission Grappling Champion Kade Ruotolo He competed in his first MMA fight last weekend and can’t get enough of the sport. Last Friday, June 7, the American grappling phenomenon won against his compatriot Blake Cooper in a lightweight battle at ONE 167.

Ruotolo showed off his never-before-seen striking game inside the Circle before landing a rear-naked choke to earn the victory before the end of the first round.

Kade Ruotolo eager for more MMA action

In a post-fight interview, the California native admitted that he was eager to return to MMA if given the chance, despite the nerves he suffered before his debut.

“To be honest, I have a lot of urgency to get back into the MMA arena, to be honest with you. I had a lot of fun tonight; I feel like if I had to go out and do it again, I would honestly want to go out and do it again.” Ruotolo said.

He further added, “I feel like you are your biggest critic most of the time. So, I’ve seen a lot of mistakes or just felt like I made a lot of mistakes on my feet. But at the same time, I felt that nervous energy, that nervous debut, and I can’t wait to show people what I can do on my feet too.”

The king of lightweight submission fighting certainly showed that he can be a legitimate threat in the lightweight MMA division, and can reach top five status sooner rather than later if he continues his winning streak.

Ruotolo hopes to return to MMA after ONE championship title defense

However, his next commitment in ONE Championship has been set for some time. Ruotolo will return to his bread and butter at ONE 168: Denver this September to defend his division crown against flyweight submission wrestling champion Mikey Musumeci.

Both running game experts were in action last Friday and dominated their respective opponents, ensuring that both will be undefeated when they meet later this year.

However, if Ruotolo has his way, he will return to competing in MMA after defending his world title against ‘Darth Rigatoni’. “Personally, I want to do another MMA fight. But whatever challenge comes next, you know I’m ready.” he said.