Tag: Kade Ruotolo

Injured Kade Ruotolo Out Of ONE 168: Denver Title Fight Following Craig Jones Invitational Win

ONE Championship’s upcoming return to the United States has taken a major hit. After fortifying its status among combat promotions in Asia, ONE began its pursuit of further prominence on US soil by debuting in the region last year. The successful ONE Fight Night 10 card took place at the 1stBankCenter in Broomfield, where Demetrious […]

Continue Reading Injured Kade Ruotolo Out Of ONE 168: Denver Title Fight Following Craig Jones Invitational Win at MMA News.

ONE Championship’s upcoming return to the United States has taken a major hit.

After fortifying its status among combat promotions in Asia, ONE began its pursuit of further prominence on US soil by debuting in the region last year. The successful ONE Fight Night 10 card took place at the 1stBankCenter in Broomfield, where Demetrious Johnson, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, and Stamp Fairtex were among the major winners.

The organization is back in Colorado almost 16 months later, with Denver’s Ball Arena playing host to ONE’s sophomore US event. But when it comes to putting on a stacked lineup for the American audience, not everything has gone to plan this time around.

ONE 168, set for this Friday, September 6, first lost its strawweight MMA title headliner between champion Xiong Jing Nan and atomweight queen Stamp after the latter tore her meniscus in May.

And just as fight week gets underway, the upcoming card has taken another huge blow…

Ruotolo Out Of Musumeci Super Fight, ‘Dealing With Injuries’ After CJI Triumph

In the absence of Xiong vs. Stamp, another champ vs. champ showdown was cemented as the main event in Jonathan Haggerty vs. Superlek Kiatmoo9. Co-headlining, meanwhile, was slated to be a submission grappling title fight.

Among those raising the prominence of submission grappling in ONE are Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci. The pair were scheduled to do battle for the former’s lightweight title at ONE 168, with “Darth Rigatoni” moving up three weight classes to take on the challenge.

But after emerging $1 million richer from the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational last month, Ruotolo is carrying injuries and has been left unable to share the Circle with Musumeci in Denver.

“Just going to start by saying this year has been a hectic one,” Ruotolo wrote on Facebook. “I am proud for accomplishing my goals this year of competing in gi, nogi and mma. I’m unfortunately dealing with injuries. I know a lot of people, including myself and Mikey were looking forward to the One match in Denver but unfortunately it’s off.

“Im going to be recovering alongside my brother and hope to get back to the mats asap. Massive thank you to @onechampionships for being the best martial arts platform @yodchatri,” he concluded.

It’s unclear whether Musumeci will remain on the lineup and receive a replacement opponent. But should he and Ruotolo be off the card, ONE 168 will have lost one of its biggest matchups and both of its big-name US athletes.

Continue Reading Injured Kade Ruotolo Out Of ONE 168: Denver Title Fight Following Craig Jones Invitational Win at MMA News.

Kade Ruotolo and Nicky Rod take home $1 million in CJI tournament finals – Craig Jones Invitational Highlights

Kade Ruotolo and Nicky Rod take home $1 million in CJI tournament finals - Craig Jones Invitational HighlightsThe first-ever Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) returned to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday night…

Kade Ruotolo and Nicky Rod take home $1 million in CJI tournament finals - Craig Jones Invitational Highlights

The first-ever Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) returned to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday night with eight grapplers vying for two million-dollar prizes and a pair of intriguing superfights.

CJI

Kicking off Day 2 was the Over 80kg semifinal match between Nicky Rod and Adam Bradley. While the pace was slow, it was clear from the get-go that Rod was in complete control, handily taking the first two rounds via the disclosed scorecards. With roughly three minutes left in the third, Rod climbed into mount. Bradley eventually gave up his back allowing Rod to slap on a body triangle and cinch his arm under the chin, securing his third-straight RNC submission of the tournament.

Joining Rod in the tournament final was Fellipe Andrew who scored a heel hook submission against Inacio Santos in the second round of their entertaining clash.

With the Over 80kg tournament final set, attention turned to the Under 80kg semifinals. First up was Levi Jones-Leary who scored a stunning upset against reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in the quarterfinal round on Friday.

Jones-Leary landed his third win of the tourney, besting Lucas Barbosa via unanimous decision, putting him one win away from being a millionaire.

But if Jones-Leary hoped to take home the seven-figure prize, he’d have to go through yet another Ruotolo brother.

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo delivered a solid showing in his exciting back-and-forth scrap with Andrew Tackett, walking away with a decision victory and a ticket to the Under 80kg final.

Ffion Davies and Craig Jones score submission victories in their CJI super fights

Before getting to the tournament finales, the Craig Jones Invitational had not one but two epic superfights pitting some of the best grapplers in the world against one another. First up was two-time IBJJF and 2022 ADCC world champion Ffiona Davies against UFC strawweight fan favorite Mackenzie Dern.

Their opening exchange saw Davies push Dern to the wall before dragging her down to the mat. Davies quickly transitioned to side control and attempted to mount, but ended up in Dern’s half-guard. Davies went back into full guard before once again passing to side control where she would remain for the remainder of the round.

Seconds into the second, Davies put Dern on the canvas with a head and arm throw. Dern did her best to scramble but ended up allowing Davies to slap on a reverse triangle and before long, forced the UFC star to tap out via armbar.

In the second superfight of the night, Craig Jones met nine-time BJJ world champion Gabi Garcia in an intergender submission grappling showdown.

Despite the size discrepancy, Jones was in control for the majority of the matchup and appeared to be playing with his food at times. After winning the opening round with 10-9 scores across the board. With two minutes to go in the second, Jones goes for a heel hook, but Garcia no-sells it works on an ankle lock. Unable to cinch in the maneuver, Jones was able to snatch a rear-naked choke that forced Garcia to tap out with less than 30 seconds to go in the round.

It was an unnecessary, but wholly entertaining matchup between the two BJJ stars.

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo take home Million-dollar prize

In the Over 80kg tournament finale, Nicky Rod completed his perfect run at the inaugural CJI, earning a rear-naked choke submission just past the three-minute mark of the third round against Adam Bradley. It was Rod’s fourth-straight finish by way of RNC as he clean sweeps his way to a million-dollar paycheck.

In the Under 80kg tournament final, reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo finished off his run with an entertaining back-and-forth scrap between the man who took out his brother in the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, Levi Jones-Leary wasn’t able to complete the dream-like run, coming up short on all three scorecards.

Craig Jones Invitational Day 2 Quick Results:

Over 80kg Semifinals:
  • Nicky Rod def. Adam Bradley via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:12 of Round 3.
  • Fellipe Andrew def. Inacio Santos via submission (heel hook) at 4:39 of Round 2.
Under 80kg Semifinals:
  • Levi Jones-Leary def. Lucas Barbosa via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
  • Kade Ruotolo def. Andrew Tackett via decision (29-28, 29-27, 27-29)
Super Fights:
  • Ffion Davies def. Mackenzie Dern via submission (reverse triangle armbar) at 0:44 of Round 2.
  • Craig Jones def. Gabi Garcia via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:38 of Round 2.
CJI
Tournament Finals:
  • Nicky Rod def. Fellipe Andrew via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:28 of Round 1 to win the Over 80kg tournament.
  • Kade Ruotolo def. Levi Jones-Leary vis unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) to win the Under 80kg tournament.
GVPOsUeaEAA92BA 1

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo shine on Day 1 of inaugural CJI tournament – Craig Jones Invitational Highlights

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo shine on Day 1 of inaugural CJI tournament - Craig Jones Invitational HighlightsDay 1 of the Craig Jones Invitational delivered some exciting finishes and a few shocking upsets as the festivities…

Nicky Rod and Kade Ruotolo shine on Day 1 of inaugural CJI tournament - Craig Jones Invitational Highlights

Day 1 of the Craig Jones Invitational delivered some exciting finishes and a few shocking upsets as the festivities officially kicked off in Las Vegas.

Nicky Rod was undoubtedly the star of the show, scoring a pair of rear-naked chokes against Max Gimenis and Owen Livesey to punch his ticket to the semi-finals of the Over 80kg bracket. Rod will face Adam Bradley on Day 2 after Bradley earned split decisions against Kyle Boehm and Bellator prospect Pat Downey.

Joining Rod and Bradley on the other side of the semi-final bracket are Inacio Santos and Fellipe Andrew, who worked their way to the penultimate round with a series of hard-fought victories.

Perhaps the biggest shocker came in the Under 80kg quarterfinal when reigning ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo suffered a decision loss against Levi Jones-Leary. Ruotolo got his tournament off to a great start, tapping out decorated wrestler Jason Nolf with a kneebar in the third round.

Facing Jones-Leary nearly five hours into the show, Ruotolo struggled with his guard while Jones-Leary fished for a heel hook throughout the match. In the end, Jones-Leary’s aggressiveness was enough to snatch a unanimous decision win, depriving us of the opportunity to see Tye Ruotolo square off with his twin brother and fellow ONE world champion, Kade Ruotolo.

ONE World Champion Kade Ruotolo fights his way to craig jones invitational under 80kg semifinal

Kade Ruotolo was able to get the job done on the other side of the bracket, locking in a nasty straight ankle lock with mere seconds left in the opening round against ADCC gold medalist Matheus Diniz.

Ruotolo went on to dominate Tommy Langaker in his quarterfinal match, earning a unanimous decision against the Norwegian BJJ star. In the last 14 months, Ruotolo has bagged three wins against Langaker with two of them coming under the ONE Championship banner.

Kade Ruotolo will meet Andrew Tackett in the semifinal contest after the young American bested Nicky Ryan and Eoghan O’Flanagan via decision.

Check out all the action from Day 1 of the CJI, including full results and the updated brackets for Day 2 below:

Over 80kg first round Results:

  • Nicky Rod def. Max Gimenis via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:45 of Round 2.
  • Owen Livesey def. Mahamed Aly via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Adam Bradley def. Kyle Boehm via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Pat Downey def. Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-26)
  • Lucas Kanard def. Victor Hugo via submission (heel hook) at 1:10 of Round 1
  • Inacio Santos def. Pedro Alex via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Fellipe Andrew def. Daniel Kerkvliet via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Joao Gabriel Rocha def. William Tackett via unanimous decision

Over 80kg quarterfinal Results:

  • Nicky Rod def. Owen Livesey via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:41 of Round 1.
  • Adam Bradley def. Pat Downey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Inacio Santos def. Lucas Kanard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Fellipe Andrew def. Joao Gabriel Rocha via unanimous decision
Craig Jones

Under 80kg first round Results:

  • Tye Ruotolo def. Jason Nolf via submission (kneebar) at 4:16 of Round 3
  • Levi Jones-Leary def. Roberto Jimenez via submission (inside heel hook) at 1:53 of Round 1
  • Lucas Barbosa def. Kenta Iwamoto via unanimous decision
  • Jozef Chen def. Andy Varela via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
  • Kade Ruotolo def. Matheus Diniz via submission (straight ankle lock) at 4:43 of Round 1
  • Tommy Langaker def. Renato Canuto via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Eoghan O’Flanagan def. Magid Hage via submission (outside heel hook) at 1:41 of Round 2
  • Andrew Tackett def. Nicky Ryan via unanimous decision (30-24, 30-24, 30-25)

Under 80kg quarterfinal Results:

  • Levi Jones-Leary def. Tye Ruotolo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Lucas Barbosa def. Jozef Chen via submission (knee crush) at 3:34 of Round 3
  • Kade Ruotolo def. Tommy Langaker via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
  • Andrew Tackett def. Eoghan O’Flanagan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Craig Jones

Kade Ruotolo scores slick rear-naked choke submission over Francisco Lo – ONE Fight Night 21 Highlights

Kade RuotoloReigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo returned to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok for…

Kade Ruotolo

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo returned to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok for a 180-pound catchweight clash with accomplished BJJ sensation Francisco Lo.

Lo came out fairly aggressive in the opening minute and attempted to jump triangle after finding himself backed into a corner. Ruotolo wisely avoided falling into the trap, but the exchange ultimately resulted in Lo pulling guard and dragging the 21-year-old star to the mat. Lo slapped on a body triangle to keep Ruotolo from passing.

Rutolo climbed back up to his feet, prompting Lo to attempt a heel hook. Ruotolo successfully escaped and scrambled away. Lo initiated another grappling exchange, but his overzealousness allowed Ruotolo to take top control and transition to Lo’s back. With the hooks in, Ruotolo cinched in an arm-in rear-naked choke, forcing the Brazilian to tap out almost instantly.

Official Result: Kade Ruotolo def. Francisco Lo via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:48.

Kade Ruotolo

Following the victory, it was also revealed that Ruotolo will make his mixed martial arts debut at ONE 167 on June 7 in Bangkok.

Kade Ruotolo

Check out highlights from Kade Ruotolo vs. Francisco Lo at oNE Fight Night 21:

Watch: Kade Ruotolo Wins ONE Grappling Title With Heel Hook

Kade Ruotolo became ONE Championship’s inaugural lightweight submission grappling champion after submitting Uali Kurzhev at ONE on Prime Video 3. The 19-year-old had already established himself as one of the world’s premier grappling talents after he b…

Kade Ruotolo became ONE Championship’s inaugural lightweight submission grappling champion after submitting Uali Kurzhev at ONE on Prime Video 3. The 19-year-old had already established himself as one of the world’s premier grappling talents after he became the youngest-ever ADCC champion last month. Ruotolo looked to have a difficult test in this matchup with a…

Continue Reading Watch: Kade Ruotolo Wins ONE Grappling Title With Heel Hook at MMA News.