“He likes to put on a show” - Francisco Lo offers his thoughts on upcoming opponent Kade Ruotolo
Brazilian newcomer Francisco Lo expects he and Kade Ruotolo to put on a show when they step inside the ring this Friday night on Amazon Prime Video.
Airing live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE Fight Night 21 will feature the return of reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo. However, the reigning champ will leave his 26 pounds of gold at home as he moves up for a 180-pound catchweight clash with one of BJJ's most innovative submission specialists.
Speaking with ONE Championship ahead of his eagerly anticipated promotional debut, Francisco Lo said:
"He likes to put on a show. I also like to put on a show. So I think it will be a great fight. I'm really looking forward to making this debut."
Francisco Lo prepared for a tough task in his ONE Championship debut
Training in "the gentle art" since the age of 10, the 23-year-old Francisco Lo earned his black belt in 2022 under the star-studded Checkmat team out of Long Beach, California. Since then, he became the 2023 IBJJF Pan American no-gi champion as well as taking first place at the IBJJF American Nationals.
Lo is credited with an impressive 49 career victories, 28 of them coming by way of submission for a 57% finish rate.
As for his opponent, Kade Ruotolo is undefeated under the ONE Championship banner, going 5-0 since making his promotional debut in May 2022. Along the way, he has bested former ONE world champion Shinya Aoki, four-time Sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev, and IBJJF world champion Matheus Gabriel.
Ruotolo also owns back-to-back victories against Norwegian submission star Tommy Langer.
Will the Atos Jiu-Jitsu superstar add another big win to his resume and move to 6-0 in ONE, or will Lo shock the world and establish himself as the next big thing in BJJ?
Fans in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 21 live and for free on Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, April 5.