BJJ savant Francisco Lo says Kade Ruotolo's relentless pace sets him apart: "This makes him very dangerous"
Former IBJJF Pan and American Nationals No-Gi champion Francisco Lo will fight on the global stage at ONE Fight Night 21 against Kade Ruotolo. The Brazilian grappling savant will lock horns with the ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion and youngest ADCC world champion ever in a 180-pound catch-weight bout.
Kade Ruotolo is one of the most dynamic and athletic grapplers alive today. The 20-year-old prodigy runs on a frenetic pace while hunting for submissions constantly, making it nearly impossible to deal with his offense.
Francisco Lo is well aware of this, telling ONE:
"What makes [Ruotolo] so dangerous are the attacks he makes, always looking for the submission. I think this makes hiim very dangerous and different from other jiu-jitsu athletes."
Many BJJ blackbelts have tried and failed to deal with Kade Ruotolo's unstoppable attacks. We'll see what Lo has in store for the world champion on fight night.
Francisco Lo sees similarities in his style with Kade Ruotolo
Despite recognizing the power of Ruotolo's aggressive approach, Francisco Lo sees himself in the world champion's strengths. The Brazilian former IBJJF Pan champion admits that he shares a similar aggressive form of attacking system as the young prodigy.
He told ONE:
"I think we have very similar styles because I also aggressively look for submissions. He is also aggressive, doesn't like to tie up the fight, and is always looking for the submission."
In boxing, it's been observed that when two knockout artists clash, it's not who has the stronger puncher wins - it's the one who lands first. The same thing can be said about submission grappling.
When two offensive-minded finishers come head-to-head, the one who can impose his attacks early and keep the momentum wins. If Lo can somehow take the fight to Kade Ruotolo early, he may be able to negate his attacks and keep him on the defensive the whole fight.
ONE Fight Night 21 will air live on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.