Kade Ruotolo has the grappling skills, yes – but he also has power.
At ONE 169 on Friday, Rutolo (2-0) needed only 64 seconds to club-and-sub opponent Ahmed Mujtaba (10-5) for a finish at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ruotolo dropped Mujtaba with a big overhand right that floored Pakistan’s Mujtaba. Ruotolo made an effort to finish the fight with punches, but ultimately elected to snatch Mujtaba’s neck with a deep D’Arce choke and get a tap.
THAT POWER 😱 Kade Ruotolo clubs and subs Ahmed Mujtaba in just over a minute!
Tune in to Prime Video and Sky Sports NOW to catch the rest of ONE 169!#ONE169 | 🔴 LIVE NOW
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch Live on Prime 👉 https://t.co/tIDb3L7un9
🇬🇧🇮🇪 Watch Live on Sky Sports
🌍 Live TV broadcast in… pic.twitter.com/K70kBDxkpb— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 9, 2024
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.
He made his pro MMA debut in June when he submitted Blake Cooper in 3:20. Prior to Friday’s fight, he told MMA Junkie he planned to take time off after the fight to heal injuries.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.