BJJ Ace Kade Ruotolo Explains How “Super Cool” Bond With ‘Tribal Seeds’ Came About

In addition to being the reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion and one of the most exciting young MMA prospects in years, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prodigy Kade Ruotolo is a lifelong fan of reggae music.

The 21-year-old is now in his final preparations for his hotly anticipated MMA debut, set for June 7 in U.S. primetime at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video.

Kade Ruotolo talks about his favorite musician

That night, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, Ruotolo will lace up the 4-ounce gloves for the first time when he squares off with Hawaiian slugger Blake Cooper. Widely recognized as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound submission grapplers, Ruotolo’s MMA debut is sure to draw the attention of curious fans from around the world.

No stranger to high-pressure situations, the San Diego resident uses music to keep his stress at a minimum and the vibes in the training room at their best. His genre of choice is reggae – the music he’s been listening to since he was a child, thanks to his parents.

In a recent interview, Ruotolo revealed his favorite reggae group: “Tribal Seeds is the best. We’ve been listening to Tribal Seeds forever, all their albums, I’ve probably listened to every single song they’ve made. They’re out of San Diego.”

Ruotolo explains why he loves Tribal Seeds

Indeed, Ruotolo, as well as his twin brother, reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo, have both walked out to matches in ONE with Tribal Seeds blaring on the arena speakers.

Ruotolo says those walkouts have drawn the attention of the band, opening up a line of communication between one of San Diego’s biggest bands and two of San Diego’s top martial artists: “It’s super cool. Sometimes when we post the stories, or now, even when we’re walking out, they’ll tune in and they hear the Tribal Seeds, so they’ll throw it on their story, so it’s super cool.”

He further added, “One of their recent shows out in Mission Bay, they got us a couple tickets for it, so we went out there, and it’s super cool. We’re super thankful for that relationship. I told them, ‘If you guys want to come out to the next one, let me know.’ Yeah, those guys are absolute legends.”