Ahead of ONE 171, Kade Ruotolo says love of MMA has 'fully surpassed' jiu-jitsu

Just how much does decorated jiu-jitsu ace Kade Ruotolo love mixed martial arts? Well, for starters, he makes more money from competing on the mats than he does in the cage – but that hasn’t stopped him from embracing getting punched in the face.

“Technically I still get paid more to do jiu-jitsu than I do to fight MMA, so for me, it’s not even about as much the financials as it is I just love to fight,” Ruotolo told MMA Junkie Radio. “… When I get hit in the face, it wakes me up and makes me want it more.”

Ruotolo, 22, is gearing up for his third ONE Championship MMA appearance this Thursday when he meets undefeated Argentinian veteran Nicolas Vigna (7-0) in a lightweight bout at ONE 171 from Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. The bout will mark Ruotolo’s third MMA fight since making his professional debut last June, with his first two ending in first-round submission wins.

Ruotolo said he felt the nerves entering his debut at ONE 167, where he defeated Blake Cooper with a face crank. Ruotolo said he didn’t feel those same nerves and was “just confident and ready” before making Ahmed Mutjaba tap out to a brabo choke in his second MMA appearance at ONE 169.

While it’s easy for Ruotolo (2-0) to lean on his jiu-jitsu in the cage, he said he’s enjoying the process of learning the intricacies of MMA – such as using strikes to set up his grappling. At this point so early in his MMA, Ruotolo said his love of MMA has “fully surpassed” jiu-jitsu.

“Without a doubt,” Ruotolo said. “I love jiu-jitsu, it’s been my entire life pretty much, but this is something new, and it’s just refreshing for me. … I’m learning so much, it’s just refreshing to be a student of the game again. I’m still a student of the game in jiu-jitsu, of course, but even more so in MMA. It’s just been super refreshing and motivating to keep learning everything. As far as my passion goes, it couldn’t be too much higher. I’m extremely motivated, and I love this sport with my whole heart.”