Jiu-jitsu phenom Kade Ruotolo improved his professional MMA record to 3-0 by defeating Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171 in Qatar, showcasing his grappling prowess and earning a $50,000 performance bonus while expressing his desire to continue competing in MMA despite holding the ONE grappling title.
Jiu-jitsu phenom Kade Ruotolo is now 3-0 in his professional MMA career. He swiftly defeated Nicolas Vigna in a 175-pound catchweight bout during the early part of ONE 171 in Qatar on Thursday.
Vigna entered the fight with a perfect 7-0 record, boasting four submissions and a flawless finishing rate. But facing Ruotolo, a decorated grappler, proved too much for the Argentinian fighter.
Ruotolo, currently the ONE grappling champ with past titles at ADCC, CJI, and WNO, started strong. He landed a head kick early on and quickly transitioned to a leg lock attempt on the ground. Although Vigna survived this initial assault, Ruotolo took his back and worked towards a rear-naked choke.
Then he improved to the mount position, delivering vicious elbows. This created an opening for an arm-triangle choke.
Check out the sequence below.
For his stellar performance in Qatar, Ruotolo received an extra $50,000 bonus. Despite holding the ONE grappling belt, he expressed his intent to continue competing in MMA.
“I have to be honest guys,” Ruotolo said after his victory. “I definitely want to defend my grappling title here; I got the belt and I definitely need to defend it. But if I’m being 100% honest, MMA is in my heart 100 percent.”
“And if it’s what I want, it’s definitely another MMA fight. I want to get back in there as soon as possible and keep it in the first round again.”