Ahead of his first professional mixed martial arts fight at Prime Video's ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II, BJJ superstar Cade Ruotolo trained with one of the greatest fighters of all time, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
Following their training session, the two current ONE World Champions appeared on Johnson’s “Mightycast” show to discuss Ruotolo’s move into mixed martial arts and his upcoming primetime MMA debut against Blake Cooper this Friday, June 7.
The reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion could not contain his excitement as he prepared for the fight at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and told Johnson that the move was inevitable.
Ruotolo said:
“We grew up watching mixed martial arts and I knew I had to do my thing in jiu-jitsu first, but I was always excited about the idea that one day I could get into that world.
“I was sure. It was like a bucket list thing. I had to fight in MMA.”
The 21-year-old grappling prodigy had been mulling over the idea of switching gears for a few years, but finally decided to embark on a new adventure this year.
Having previously defended his ONE Submission Grappling gold medal three times and won the ADCC World Championship, Ruotolo already boasts an unrivalled résumé and feels that now is the perfect time to compete in mixed martial arts.
He explained:
“Over the last few years, that urge has only gotten stronger.
“To be honest, I think I've fought my brother many times for free. Now I want to be paid! I love fighting, I'm a fighter. I love jiu-jitsu, but I don't feel it's fighting. It's a match, not a fight.”
“I'm really looking forward to showcasing what I can do in MMA. I say this with great humility, but I truly believe that MMA has never had grappling or jiu-jitsu at my level before.”
Ruotolo: “Not scared” of high-profile move to MMA
After reaching the pinnacle of submission grappling, Cade Ruotolo is excited about the opportunity to take his next step in mixed martial arts.
While he already has a wealth of skills to bring to the table when he faces Cooper on June 7, there are many new elements to learn, and that exploration has reignited his passion for martial arts.
Ruotolo told Demetrious Johnson earlier this week.
“Every time I train in MMA I learn something new and feel like a student again.
“I think the transition is going well. I think the most important thing is that I'm feeling comfortable in sparring and practical training. I'm not too scared, my mind is strong and I'm not intimidated by a lot of things. My coaches and family are happy with my progress.”
The Hawaii-born athlete began practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of three and can't remember a time when the sport wasn't at the center of his life.
This has made him a surprisingly skilled fighter at such a young age, but he still found some blind spots in his journey in MMA.
While Ruotolo is pleased with the progress he's making, he revealed the most challenging element he's found during the transition — and it was an answer that surprised “Mighty Mouse.”
“The hardest part was the leg cardio. I never expected that. In jiu-jitsu you can do that all day. Hopping is different. Calf muscles. That's something you don't train in jiu-jitsu. The cardio in the footwork was the most shocking.”
“Cardio wise I felt I could do another 100 rounds, but my calves were just exhausted more than anything!”
Check out the video above for the full conversation between Ruotolo and Johnson, which also covers his motivations for getting into martial arts, his sibling rivalry with world champion twin brother Ty Ruotolo and his upcoming bout with fellow BJJ megastar Mikey Musumeci.
