SUMMARY
- Kade Ruotolo is set to make his MMA debut at ONE 167.
- Ahead of the fight against Blake Cooper, Kade speaks on his striking expertise.
Kade Ruotolo is undoubtedly one of the finest grapplers on the planet, but ahead of his highly anticipated MMA debut, the burning question will be what happens while the fight is standing.
The ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion will face Hawaiian fighter Blake Cooper in his first tilt under mixed martial arts rules, which is set for ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.
After his most recent win, a non-title “Ruotolo-tine” submission over Francisco Lo earlier this month, Ruotolo couldn’t hide his excitement while speaking to reporters at the post-fight press conference.
“The first week of June, it’s on. I’m super fired up. It’s been a long time coming. I have a tough opponent in Blake Cooper ahead of me,” he said.
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
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🌍 Live TV broadcast in 190+… pic.twitter.com/A79zfWcOEA— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 5, 2024
“I’ve already watched his last ONE Championship performance. I’m definitely not taking anybody lightly. He has some heavy hands and good wrestling. He’s a scrapper. Anyone from Hawaii is a scrapper. I know that for sure, so I’m excited.”
We know that the 21-year-old phenom can grapple, but what is his striking like?
Kade Ruotolo reveals how good he is at striking
ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo has revealed details of his striking skills ahead of his upcoming MMA debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga. In the same post-fight interview, Ruotolo was honest about his abilities.
“I’m no Mike Tyson or a Superlek. I’m not quite there yet but every day I’m getting better and polishing my hands,” he said.
“The main thing is that I’m comfortable striking. I’m not too scared of punches, which is usually the biggest barrier to overcome. My brother and I grew up scrapping our whole lives, so the fear button isn’t really there when it comes to striking. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’ve been finding more success and learning every day, so I’m confident.”
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Cooper, of course, would be well advised to keep the fight standing against the lightweight submission grappling king and not go down without a fight. The 27-year-old will be hungry to rebound from a TKO loss to Maurice Abevi in his ONE debut this past September.