Kade Ruotolo quite frankly doesn’t need MMA.
For someone raking in dough in the world of grappling, including a $1 million prize pocketed at 2024 Craig Jones Invitational, the drive clearly isn’t about the money.
Initially, Ruotolo (1-0) couldn’t answer the question of “Why get punched in the head when you don’t have to?”
It took him a little while to figure it out, but ahead of his second pro bout Nov. 8 at ONE Championship 169 in Bangkok, Ruotolo has an answer.
“At the beginning of the year, I was really, almost –not lost, but I didn’t exactly understand what I wanted to be known for as far as legacy goes,” Ruotolo told MMA Junkie. “I was sitting back thinking, and it’s actually when I found God and started going to church a bit. It really helped me as far as clarity goes. I realize I’m not just trying to become the best at jiu-jitsu. I really decided I wanted to become one of the best martial artists of all time.”
Ruotolo, 21, and his twin brother Tye are grappling prodigies who began training at three. At age 18, Ruotolo was awarded a black belt by Andre Galvao. In 2022 at age 19, he became the youngest person to ever win an ADCC World Championship.
MMA gives him the opportunity to learn and grow. He thinks that potential is much more limited in grappling.
“In order to be one of the best martial artists of all time, you’ve got to do it all: jiu-jitsu, wrestling, MMA, striking, wrestling, boxing, all these martial arts,” Ruotolo said. “That’s really my goal. My coach Erik Paulson, he’s a true martial artist. He knows everything, every kind of Jeet Kune Do, jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling. He knows it all. I want to be like him. He’s a big inspiration for me.
“That’s the goal: to become a full martial artist. I feel like in jiu-jitsu, I’ve gotten to the top of the mountain in the most humble way possible. My brother and I pretty much accomplished everything you can in jiu-jitsu. So with that being said, the next big mountain is MMA. It’s obviously a huge mountain to climb with a lot of scraps along the way, but that’s where I want to be.”
In June, Ruotolo made his MMA debut when he quickly disposed of Blake Cooper (2-2) with a rear-naked choke submission at the 3:20 mark of Round 1. Ruotolo was pleased with the performance, but wishes he could’ve shown off more of his other skills outside of grappling.
This time around, Ruotolo faces Ahmed Mujtaba (10-4) and hopes to display some striking, though will be seeking the win over all else, of course. From there, it’ll be time to heal some injuries, like the one that forced him out of a September grappling match vs. Mikey Musemeci.
“I’ve talked to two people about the same injury and they gave me two completely different types of advice – complete opposites,” Ruotolo said. “One person goes, ‘No, get the surgery now because if you don’t get it now, it’s going to tear all the way through.’ Then someone told me, ‘No, don’t do surgery. Do stem cells and just let it heal naturally. The surgery, you’re out for a year, right?’ I’m kind of torn, in between. I’ve got two torn labrums at the moment, in each hip. I’ve just got to figure that out. Right now, I’m more leaning toward (that) I don’t want to take a year off. That’s not really an option for me. I’m more so in the ‘just try to recover it.'”
If rest and recovery goes well, Ruotolo hopes to have a big 2025 with three MMA fights as well as the major grappling tournaments. With just one MMA bout under his belt, Ruotolo thinks it’s inevitable he makes a massive impact in the world of fighting.
“To be entirely honest with you, in the most humble way possible, I’m a very mentally strong person,” Ruotolo said. “If you were to take the champion in the division and tell me, ‘If you were to fight him tomorrow, how would you do?’ I feel like I’d get the ‘W.’ But it’s not really so much about skyrocketing straight to the top as much as it is gaining those experiences. For me and my coaches, that’s one thing they’re really big on. They really want me to have as many experiences as possible before I really do get the belt. I’m definitely obviously really green when it comes up to the MMA world.
“There’s a lot of variables and a lot of things to learn. Every day I’m learning so much. That’s why I love it so much. It’s been a long time since I’ve learned something every single day. It’s just refreshing. With that being said, our coaches are just really big on experience and that’s the goal. Really anyone aside from the champ, and we’ll get there eventually.”
