- George Chung
- Aug 19, 2024
- 2 min read
ONE Championship star Kade Ruotolo picked up a $1 million prize by winning the Craig Jones Invitational on August 17.
Both Kade and Tye Ruotolo competed in the under 80kg division. The ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion would win three matches to get to the final, where he took home a decision to win the tournament title.
On Friday, August 16, Ruotolo got started with a kneebar submission against Jason Nolf. He followed that up with a decision win over familiar foe Tommy Langaker.
The BJJ wizard returned on Saturday for his match against Andrew Tackett, which he won by decision. The win put Ruotolo in the final for a chance at the million-dollar prize.
Levi Jones-Leary would come out on the other side of the bracket, defeating Tye in the process. The win over his twin gave Kade extra motivation beyond the paycheck for the final.
The final match went the distance, a full five rounds. An early triangle attempt by the ONE Championship star proved to be the closest either man would get to a finish. Ruotolo’s submission attempt and constant aggression were enough to net the win.
But the work is not over for Ruotolo, who must now turn his attention to defending the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, September 6.
Ruotolo will try to grab pound-for-pound glory when he defends the title against ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumiec in a BJJ supferfight. It is a must-see grappling encounter that is sure to captivate.
After the Craig Jones Invitational, Ruotolo will walk down the ONE aisle as confident as ever.
ONE 168: Denver airs live on Prime Video on Friday, September 6, from the Ball Arena at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Remaining tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
