On October 21, Kade Ruotolo once again made his mark – by winning the first ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title, via Heel Hook submission against 4x Sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev.
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Given this spectacular win, as well as his outstanding ADCC performance, Kade is now getting “challenged” by many more athletes than it was the case before.
He explained how that feels in an interview for ONE:
I feel like I’m the hunted rather than the hunter. I’ve always been looking after that number one spot, trying to get to the top, and now it kind of almost feels like I’m there.
I got a lot of hungry people coming after me. And that’s exactly what I want. So I can’t wait to face everybody.
Reflecting back on his match with Kurzhev, Kade emphasized the respect he feels for the Sambo champion:
I have a massive amount of respect for [Kurzhev], just for the fact that he came at me first, with no hesitation, and he’s extremely strong. He wasn’t turning down from anything, and he wasn’t scared at all. So, a lot of respect for him.
A lot of competitors, when I get in there with them, they’re very hesitant. A lot of people tend to kind of shell up, and he did the opposite.
So, you know, massive props to him. He’s an animal.
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Shut down leg locks and turn their attack into your counters and passes with the Ruotolo brothers’ guide to staying safe.
- Kade and Tye Ruotolo are twin brothers training at Atos and two of the highest-profile and most successful young grapplers in the world.
- Escape from dangerous no-gi positions like 50/50, outside ashi, cross ashi/honey hole, and more.
- Turn heel hook attempts into your own counters as the Ruotolo brothers show you how they navigate these tricky positions.
