ADCC and CJI champion Kade Ruotolo improved to 2-0 in MMA with an impressive victory at ONE 169.
Kade Ruotolo couldn’t have asked for a better performance in his second professional MMA fight.
On Friday, November 8, at ONE 169, the decorated BJJ competitor needed just over one minute to submit Pakistani veteran Ahmed Mujtaba with his trademark d’arce choke.
Ruotolo displayed an educated striking game, dropping his much more experienced opponent with a flush right overhand early in the contest. From there, he poured on ground strikes before jumping onto a fight-ending d’arce choke. The finish came officially at 1:04 into the first round.
The victory netted Ruotolo a $50,000 performance bonus.
Notably, the win came against an experienced pro MMA competitor. Mujtaba boasts a 10-4 career slate and has been competing in ONE Championship’s MMA division for years.
After the fight, he admitted that, while he plans to remain atop the BJJ world, his heart and passion currently lie with MMA.
Fresh off winning the $1 million prize at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational in August, the 21-year-old black belt is one of grappling top pound-for-pound athletes and has now established himself as perhaps MMA’s most promising rising star.
Now training under MMA legend Erik Paulson in addition to his regular BJJ work at Atos, Ruotolo made his MMA debut earlier this year at ONE 167 when he scored a first-round rear-naked choke win over Blake Cooper.
Before dipping his toes into MMA, Ruotolo became ONE’s inaugural lightweight submission grappling world champion – a title he has successfully defended three times with victories over IBJJF gi world champion Matheus Gabriel and IBJJF no-gi world champion Tommy Langaker. In addition to his CJI and ONE titles, he is also the youngest-ever ADCC world champion and a former Who’s Number One Champion.
Check out video of Ruotolo’s finish of Mujtaba below.
Kade Ruotolo vs. Ahmed Mujtaba took place on November 8, 2024, at ONE 169, at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
![[WATCH] Kade Ruotolo Wins Second MMA Fight With Devastating Strikes & Submission](https://i1.wp.com/www.bjjee.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kade-Ruotolo-ONE-169.jpg?w=75&resize=75,75&ssl=1 "[WATCH] Kade Ruotolo Wins Second MMA Fight With Devastating Strikes & Submission")
