Grappling phenoms Kade and Tye Ruotolo have taken the submission grappling world by storm, but their ultimate goal is to make the transition to mixed martial arts. In a recent interview, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts opened up about their timeline for finally stepping into the MMA cage.
“For sure, within the next handful of months,” Kade Ruotolo stated when asked if 2024 would be the year they make their MMA debuts. His twin brother Tye echoed that sentiment, confidently declaring “For sure” that their highly-anticipated crossover is coming in the near future.
The 20-year-old Ruotolo brothers have already accomplished incredible feats in grappling, especially Kade becoming an ADCC champion in 2022. However, their sights have always been set on following in the footsteps of their heroes like BJ Penn and Nick Diaz to become complete mixed martial artists.
According to Kade, priority shifts and bigger life goals like opening their own gym in Costa Rica temporarily delayed their MMA transition planned for late 2023. But with those ducks now in a row, the stage is set for the dynamic duo to begin the next chapter of their combat sports journey this year.
When that MMA debut happens, the wrestling prowess both brothers stressed as critical for jiu-jitsu players making the leap to MMA should serve them well. As for what other skills they’ll need to sharpen?
“Striking is very important to, you know, close the distance to be able to shoot,” Tye explained. “But jiu-jitsu still doesn’t work if you can’t get the guy to the ground.”
