“Being ready for any type of scenario” - Blake Cooper prepared to tango with Kade Ruotolo wherever the fight unfolds
American MMA fighter Blake Cooper said he is ready for wherever direction his scheduled match against Kade Ruotolo next week will go. He highligted how he and his team have trained for every scenario.
The Oahu, Hawaii, resident will plunge back into action at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand. He is pitted against ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Ruotolo, who will be making his MMA debut in the event.
Knowing that he will battle a noted BJJ fighter, Cooper said he is expecting to be tested not only in the stand-up game but also on the ground. He is not too worried, though, as he said he is coming in thoroughly prepared.
He told ONE Championship in an interview:
"So wherever it takes us, this is an MMA fight, so it's a little bit different. But yeah, I'm expecting anything really, whether it be stand-up or on the ground, just being ready for any type of scenario."
Blake Cooper seeks to bounce back at ONE 167 after losing in his ONE Championship debut in September last year. He was defeated by technical knockout in the opening round against Swiss Maurice Abevi.
Ruotolo, meanwhile, is looking to make it a winning MMA debut in ONE Championship after dominating the submission grappling lane in his division since joining the promotion in 2022. The foray in MMA is part of his push to continue to grow as a fighter.
ONE 167 will emanate from the Impact Arena in Bangkok and air live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Blake Cooper vows to have a better showing at ONE 167
Blake Cooper admits that he was not able to perform the way he wanted to in his ONE Championship debut last September, which is why in his scheduled return to action on June 7 at ONE 167 he has vowed to have a better showing and win.
The 27-year-old Hawaiian fighter fell to Swiss opponent Maurice Abevi in his maiden ONE outing last year in the opening round by way of TKO.
Cooper said that while mentally he was up for the challenge, his body was not able to keep pace, preventing him to come up with a perfomance that would have put him in a better position to win.
For ONE 167, he said things will be different, telling the promotion in an interview:
"I'm doing things a lot different this time around and preparation is a lot better this time, so you know it's gonna be a different fight."
Blake Cooper turned professional in 2022 and the loss to Abevi was his first in his pro career.