Friday’s ONE Championship heavyweight title fight has been expected to be a doozy for a while.
Friday’s ONE Championship heavyweight title fight has been expected to be a doozy for a while, and that was confirmed at the news conference.
Tempers weren’t exactly kept in check when three-division champ [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] and [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] (aka “Reug Reug”) squared off for the ONE 169 heavyweight title main event.
Malykhin (14-0) got a physical reaction from Kane (6-1) in their faceoff, and after a few more physical decisions they had to be separated.
Former UFC middleweight champion and current ONE VP Rich Franklin thinks there’s reason to feel a buzz around the heavyweight headliner because Malykhin is back in the division and not down a weight class or two.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a heavyweight title match, particularly with Malykhin bouncing around and the different matches he did in the different weight classes,” Franklin told MMA Junkie Radio. “This is the first time we’ve had the king in that division back again (in a while), so this is a big deal.”
Malykhin never has been out of the third round and has all 14 of his wins by finish, including two over former two-division champ Reinier de Ridder, who makes his UFC debut Saturday in the co-main event.
His dominance has led to him being a prohibitive 10-1 favorite at the betting window against Kane. But Franklin cautioned against counting out the 32-year-old from Senegal.
“‘Reug Reug’ – I’ll say this: I wasn’t a big believer when he came into the organization. I was like, meh,” Franklin said. “But each fight, he’s been able to close the gap a bit more and a bit more. I think Malykhin is going to be a tough opponent for him – a very tough opponent – so he’ll need to up his game because Malykhin is more of the complete package.
“I do believe ‘Reug Reug’ will have to rely on his wrestling more. But ‘Reug Reug’ is a super athletic guy, and because of his wrestling, he’s a bit more unorthodox with his striking – so that can oftentimes make good fighters look bad, as well.”
Kade Ruotolo made $1 million at the 2024 ADCC World Championship alone, so why is he turning to MMA?
[autotag]Kade Ruotolo[/autotag] quite frankly doesn’t need MMA.
For someone raking in dough in the world of grappling, including a $1 million prize pocketed at 2024 Craig Jones Invitational, the drive clearly isn’t about the money.
Initially, Ruotolo (1-0) couldn’t answer the question of “Why get punched in the head when you don’t have to?”
It took him a little while to figure it out, but ahead of his second pro bout Nov. 8 at ONE Championship 169 in Bangkok, Ruotolo has an answer.
“At the beginning of the year, I was really, almost –not lost, but I didn’t exactly understand what I wanted to be known for as far as legacy goes,” Ruotolo told MMA Junkie. “I was sitting back thinking, and it’s actually when I found God and started going to church a bit. It really helped me as far as clarity goes. I realize I’m not just trying to become the best at jiu-jitsu. I really decided I wanted to become one of the best martial artists of all time.”
Ruotolo, 21, and his twin brother Tye are grappling prodigies who began training at three. At age 18, Ruotolo was awarded a black belt by Andre Galvao. In 2022 at age 19, he became the youngest person to ever win an ADCC World Championship.
MMA gives him the opportunity to learn and grow. He thinks that potential is much more limited in grappling.
“In order to be one of the best martial artists of all time, you’ve got to do it all: jiu-jitsu, wrestling, MMA, striking, wrestling, boxing, all these martial arts,” Ruotolo said. “That’s really my goal. My coach Erik Paulson, he’s a true martial artist. He knows everything, every kind of Jeet Kune Do, jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling. He knows it all. I want to be like him. He’s a big inspiration for me.
“That’s the goal: to become a full martial artist. I feel like in jiu-jitsu, I’ve gotten to the top of the mountain in the most humble way possible. My brother and I pretty much accomplished everything you can in jiu-jitsu. So with that being said, the next big mountain is MMA. It’s obviously a huge mountain to climb with a lot of scraps along the way, but that’s where I want to be.”
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In June, Ruotolo made his MMA debut when he quickly disposed of Blake Cooper (2-2) with a rear-naked choke submission at the 3:20 mark of Round 1. Ruotolo was pleased with the performance, but wishes he could’ve shown off more of his other skills outside of grappling.
This time around, Ruotolo faces Ahmed Mujtaba (10-4) and hopes to display some striking, though will be seeking the win over all else, of course. From there, it’ll be time to heal some injuries, like the one that forced him out of a September grappling match vs. Mikey Musemeci.
“I’ve talked to two people about the same injury and they gave me two completely different types of advice – complete opposites,” Ruotolo said. “One person goes, ‘No, get the surgery now because if you don’t get it now, it’s going to tear all the way through.’ Then someone told me, ‘No, don’t do surgery. Do stem cells and just let it heal naturally. The surgery, you’re out for a year, right?’ I’m kind of torn, in between. I’ve got two torn labrums at the moment, in each hip. I’ve just got to figure that out. Right now, I’m more leaning toward (that) I don’t want to take a year off. That’s not really an option for me. I’m more so in the ‘just try to recover it.'”
If rest and recovery goes well, Ruotolo hopes to have a big 2025 with three MMA fights as well as the major grappling tournaments. With just one MMA bout under his belt, Ruotolo thinks it’s inevitable he makes a massive impact in the world of fighting.
“To be entirely honest with you, in the most humble way possible, I’m a very mentally strong person,” Ruotolo said. “If you were to take the champion in the division and tell me, ‘If you were to fight him tomorrow, how would you do?’ I feel like I’d get the ‘W.’ But it’s not really so much about skyrocketing straight to the top as much as it is gaining those experiences. For me and my coaches, that’s one thing they’re really big on. They really want me to have as many experiences as possible before I really do get the belt. I’m definitely obviously really green when it comes up to the MMA world.
“There’s a lot of variables and a lot of things to learn. Every day I’m learning so much. That’s why I love it so much. It’s been a long time since I’ve learned something every single day. It’s just refreshing. With that being said, our coaches are just really big on experience and that’s the goal. Really anyone aside from the champ, and we’ll get there eventually.”
One of the world’s best grapplers will continue his MMA transition next month under the ONE Championship banner.
One of the world’s best grapplers will continue his MMA transition next month under the ONE Championship banner.
[autotag]Kade Ruotolo[/autotag] (1-0) will take on [autotag]Ahmed Mujtaba[/autotag] (10-4) at lightweight at ONE 169, promotion officials told MMA Junkie. The event (Prime Video) takes place Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ruotolo, a 21-year-old from Hawaii, is a ONE submission grappling champion and won the Craig Jones Invitational grappling tournament in August – and its $1 million prize. The renowned jiu-jitsu black belt and his twin brother, Tye, both signed deals with ONE to grapple and eventually transition to mixed martial arts.
Kade Ruotolo made that move in June at ONE 167 and submitted Blake Cooper with a first-round rear-naked choke. The finish was good enough for a $50,000 performance bonus in Bangkok.
Mujtaba, a 31-year-old from Pakistan, has fought for ONE since 2016 and is 4-4 with the promotion. Three of those four wins are stoppages. But potentially working against him is that three of his four losses are by submission.
In the main event at ONE 169, three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin will defend his heavyweight title against “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane. Two-division champ Christian Lee will defend his lightweight title against unbeaten Russian challenger Alibeg Rasulov.
