FREE FULL FIGHT: BJJ phenom Kade Ruotolo's stunning ONE Championship debut against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki
Kade Ruotolo has hit the ground running in his ONE Championship debut as he was pitted against former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki in May 2022 at ONE 157, which took place inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Ruotolo impressed in his inaugural fight in the promotion and secured the victory via unanimous decision over 'Tobikan Judan'. The promotion recently reposted the full fight replay of the match on YouTube, and they wrote the video's description:
"Japanese legend Shinya Aoki and 19-year-old BJJ phenom Kade Ruotolo went toe-to-toe in a lightweight submission grappling showdown at ONE 157!"
The 21-year-old BJJ phenom imposed his dominance by constantly attacking Aoki with submission threats throughout their 10-minute match. This aggressiveness and persistence were enough to sway the judges to give him the win.
Following this dream debut, Ruotolo swept his next six fights and eventually became the first-ever ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion. During this stretch, he defeated the likes of Uali Kurzhev, Matheus Gabriel, Tommy Langaker, and Francisco Lo.
His most recent triumph was against Blake Cooper on June 7 at ONE 167, where he won his MMA debut over his fellow American compatriot via first-round submission.
Kade Ruotolo is excited to showcase his skills in front of American fans at ONE 168: Denver
Throughout his stay in the world's largest martial arts organization, Ruotolo has competed around Asia and thrilled fight fans in the region with his dazzling submission skills.
But now, he has the opportunity to put on a show in front of his fellow Americans on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver, where he will be defending his 26-pound golden belt against the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci at the Ball Arena in Colorado.
ONE 168: Denver will take place at the Ball Arena on Sept. 6, during primetime in the U.S. Tickets for the event are available on Ticketmaster.