Lito Adiwang curious how BJJ specialist Kade Ruotolo deals with punches in MMA debut: “Let’s see how he’ll handle himself”
Strawweight standout Lito Adiwang is curious to see how BJJ sensation Kade Ruotolo deals with being punched in the face during his mixed martial arts debut on Friday, June 7.
Returning to Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, ONE Championship will deliver a loaded night of fights with ONE 167, featuring some of the biggest names across multiple combat sports. In one of the evening's more intriguing matchups, reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo will leave his 26 pounds of gold at home and dawn a pair of four-ounce gloves for his first foray into MMA.
Ruotolo, who holds a perfect 6-0 record in ONE's submission grappling division, will meet American standout Blake Cooper in an MMA fight that has everyone — including Adiwang — wondering how the Atos Jiu-jitsu product will handle himself when strikes are thrown into the mix. Speaking to ONE Championship, Adiwang said:
"Grappling in an MMA match is different from a pure BJJ match. There are punches involved, of course. Let’s see how he’ll handle himself, especially if he’s on the bottom and receiving some ground and pound."
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.
Kade Ruotolo returns to the mat at ONE 168: Denver
Win or lose at ONE 167, ONE Championship fans can expect Kade Ruotolo to return to the world of submission grappling.
On Friday, Sept. 6, the promotion will make its long-awaited return to the United States for ONE 168: Denver. Emanating from The Mile High City, the event will be a historic night for fight fans as Kade Ruotolo puts his ONE lightweight submission grappling crown on the line against perhaps the biggest name in BJJ today — Mikey Musumeci.
'Darth Rigatoni' will move up three weight classes from where he reigns as the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion to challenge Ruotolo for his title. If he wins, Musumeci will make history by becoming ONE's first-ever two-division grappling king.
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 at Ball Arena.