Kade Ruotolo is a budding superstar and the 21-year-old’s grappling achievements are enough to make even the seasoned veterans jealous. He added another feather to his cap as he defeated Brazilian grappler Francisco Lo. The contest took place at ONE Fight Night 21 and it was shaping up to be one of Ruotolo’s toughest nights in the office as Lo showed incredible resistance in the opening moments of the match.
Francisco Lo’s defense was on point and, at times, Kade seemed clueless about how to implement his game plan. However, the superior grappler prevailed and it was Tye Ruotolo‘s brother who got the job done at the end. From his reaction after the match, it was evident that the win was a hard-fought one and the youngster was extremely happy to extend his impressive run.
TOO SLICK 😎 Kade Ruotolo submits Francisco Lo with an ARM-IN rear-naked choke!
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 6, 2024
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After the grappling contest, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong awarded Kade with a $50,000 bonus for his impressive win. However, what followed, caught many fans off guard. During his post-match interview, the twin Ruotolo brother announced that he would make his MMA debut very soon and it would be against Blake Cooper at ONE 167. Kade seemed quite excited about his new venture.
Stamp Fairtex will headline Kade Ruotolo’s MMA debut card
Kade Ruotolo is all set to embark on a very exciting journey and if he lives up to the expectations, it has the potential to turn him into a legend in the sport of MMA. Historically, MMA has been dominated by grapplers like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, and Daniel Cormier. While Kade already has the grappling part down, it will be interesting to see how he handles himself during striking exchanges.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for 🤩 Submission grappling phenom Kade Ruotolo makes his MMA debut on June 7 when he faces fellow American Blake Cooper at ONE 167!#ONE167 | Jun 7 at 8PM ET
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 5, 2024
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ONE 167 will take place on June 7, 2024, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok. Other than Kade’s MMA debut, the fight card will also feature superstars like Stamp Fairtex, Tawanchai PK Saenchai, Mikey Musumeci, and Johan Ghazali. Stamp will be defending her atomweight MMA title against Denice Zamboanga which the featherweight Muay Thai champ Tawanchai will face Jo Nattawut. Grappling sensation Musumeci will take on Gabriel Sousa.
What are your excitement levels for the event? Let us know in the comments below.