Submission grappling ace Kade Ruotolo believes "aggressive" Francisco Lo will force him to unleash his "inner beast"
Kade Ruotolo is expecting an all-out war when he steps inside the revered Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for his next assignment on the global stage of ONE Championship.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion squares off against promotional newcomer Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight affair at ONE Fight Night 21, which goes down live in U.S. primetime this Friday, April 5.
In an interview with CountFilms TV ahead of his sixth fight under the ONE banner, the 21-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu star detailed why he expects his contest against the Brazilian grappling ace to be one of his toughest tests.
Kade Ruotolo said:
"Yeah, 100 percent. I was telling Mitch earlier that I'm excited to fight someone who is going to come to fight me. I know he's very aggressive and anytime that someone is that aggressive, it makes me mad. And sometimes, I fight, I win. I don't get to pull out that inner beast. But I know Izaak's going to pull that out for me."
Watch the full interview here:
That sounds like a scary prospect for anyone standing across the divisional king. If Ruotolo believes he hasn't displayed the best of his game yet, Lo and the rest of the watching world could be in for a surprise this Friday.
Kade has been on a tear against the best grapplers on the planet today, and he hopes that will very well be the case once more at ONE Fight Night 21.
Kade Ruotolo grateful to compete amongst BJJ elite in ONE Championship
It hasn't been an easy journey for twin brothers Kade and Tye Ruotolo as far as their young yet experienced BJJ careers are concerned. Despite whatever hurdles are thrown their way, the pair of submission grappling phenoms have tackled each of them on their way to becoming arguably the best in their class today.
As an athlete who never shies away from challenges, Kade Ruotolo is eager to continue testing himself against the very best. And he's thankful he can achieve just that on the global stage of ONE Championship.
He had this to say during a recent appearance on The Shintaro Higashi Show:
"We've been so thankful and stoked with everything we've done through ONE Championship. You know, they always bring such a great level of professionalism, and they've been so easy to work with. And it's always an amazing show."
ONE Fight Night 21 will be available live and free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription in U.S. primetime on April 5.