Kade Ruotolo on BJJ Rivals and His MMA Debut

TL;DR

Kade Ruotolo is shifting much of his attention toward MMA after years of making jiu-jitsu his main pursuit and livelihood. He says renewed training in Muay Thai, boxing, and broader MMA has made him enjoy learning something new every day, while his grappling background, work with his twin brother, and training at Atos remain central to his development.

Transcript

no he just loves watching Kade he's like oh every time this guy's he he's a big fan of you because everybody loves watching you tap everybody out and these guys get all aroused when they see you just manhandle these here come sus here com to sus for real how why why can no one give a compliment without you like you can't say arouse when a man watch... Read More

Key Insights

• Kade Ruotolo is increasingly focused on MMA after spending years primarily dedicated to jiu-jitsu, the sport through which he and his brother made their living. During the most recent months discussed, broader MMA preparation had begun taking up most of his training time.
• Ruotolo's striking foundation includes about four years of intermittent Muay Thai training, along with experience in boxing and other striking work. He says returning to these disciplines has strengthened his interest in MMA because the transition gives him something unfamiliar to study each day.
• Atos in San Diego is Ruotolo's main training headquarters, where he works under Andre Galvao. This environment supports the grappling base that established his career while he expands his attention toward striking and the combined demands of MMA.
• Training-room submissions are not treated like public competitive victories by Ruotolo. He says practice is simply training and generally should not be discussed excessively, even though tapping and being tapped are ordinary parts of preparing with skilled partners.
• Ruotolo trained with Gordon Ryan when he was around 16 or 17 but did not submit him. According to Ruotolo, his twin brother secured a clean rolling D'Arce choke from the top during training, and footage existed even though Ruotolo had never seen it.
• Gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu feel like substantially different sports because clothing grips alter control and movement. Ruotolo says the gi can make stronger opponents easier to manage, although dealing with grips and repeatedly fixing an opened gi creates additional challenges.
• Ruotolo recently returned to gi competition after roughly a year and a half away from wearing it regularly. He won the superfight without a submission and characterized most of the match as dominant, despite needing to readjust to the grip-based style.
• Ruotolo's development is closely connected to his twin brother, who followed the same prodigy path and remains part of his competitive story. The hosts attribute the brothers' success not only to technical skill and activity, but also to devotion, humility, and respect for grappling.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is Kade Ruotolo moving from jiu-jitsu toward MMA?

Kade Ruotolo says he is falling more in love with MMA because it allows him to learn something new every day. Jiu-jitsu had long been his main discipline and the way he and his brother made a living, but he began diving more deeply into MMA during the previous year. In the most recent months discussed, MMA preparation had taken up most of his training time.

Q: What striking experience does Kade Ruotolo have for MMA?

Kade Ruotolo says he trained in Muay Thai for about four years on and off while growing up. He also practiced boxing and other striking, although jiu-jitsu remained the discipline that received most of his attention. His recent MMA preparation represents a deeper return to those skills rather than his first exposure to striking, and he describes the learning process as increasingly enjoyable.

Q: Where does Kade Ruotolo train jiu-jitsu?

Kade Ruotolo identifies Atos in San Diego as his training headquarters and says he works there with Andre Galvao. The gym is the central base for his established grappling career, even as he devotes more time to MMA. His comments connect that training environment with the technical foundation he built through years of intensive jiu-jitsu practice and competition.

Q: Did Kade Ruotolo submit Gordon Ryan in training?

Kade Ruotolo says he did not submit Gordon Ryan when they trained together in Miami, which happened when Ruotolo was around 16 or 17. He does say that his twin brother caught Ryan with a clean rolling D'Arce choke from the top. Ruotolo believes the exchange was recorded, but he also says he has never personally seen the footage.

Q: How does Kade Ruotolo view submissions during training?

Kade Ruotolo treats training outcomes as part of practice rather than as formal competitive results. When asked about submissions involving prominent grapplers, he emphasizes that training is simply training and that people generally should not talk too much about what happens there. He also acknowledges that tapping is normal, meaning both successful attacks and defensive failures contribute to development without carrying the meaning of an official match.

Q: What is the difference between gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu for Kade Ruotolo?

Kade Ruotolo describes gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu as extremely different because the gi introduces clothing grips that change how athletes control one another. He believes the gi makes it easier to fight stronger opponents, but it also demands constant awareness of grips and uniform management. His recent return required him to work through those adjustments after focusing primarily on no-gi training.

Q: How did Kade Ruotolo perform in his recent gi superfight?

Kade Ruotolo says he won his recent gi superfight and controlled most of the contest, although he did not finish with a submission. The appearance came after roughly a year and a half without regularly wearing the gi. He still expresses affection for gi jiu-jitsu because he grew up practicing it, even while acknowledging the difficulty of readjusting to its grips.

Q: How has training with his twin brother shaped Kade Ruotolo's career?

Kade Ruotolo's career developed alongside his twin brother, with both becoming prominent grapplers while still young. Their shared background created a close technical and competitive relationship, including training with elite partners and building their reputations together. The hosts describe both brothers as unusually active and devoted, and they connect their success with a respectful, humble attitude toward jiu-jitsu as well as their ability.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Kade Ruotolo discusses the unusual experience of developing alongside his twin brother while both became highly active, respected grapplers at a young age. The hosts describe the brothers as devoted competitors who accept difficult opportunities, entertain audiences with submission-focused performances, and maintain humility and respect for jiu-jitsu throughout their success.

• Ruotolo trains at Atos with Andre Galvao in San Diego and treats private training outcomes differently from official competition. He recalls training with Gordon Ryan when he was around 16 or 17, saying he did not secure a submission, while his brother caught Ryan with a clean rolling D'Arce choke.

• Although no-gi competition has occupied much of his recent career, Ruotolo grew up training in the gi and still values it. He returned for a gi superfight, won without securing a submission, and described the performance as dominant while acknowledging that grips make gi grappling feel substantially different from no-gi competition.