"The future is bright" - Kade Ruotolo already getting high expectations after clinical MMA debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167
Kade Ruotolo only needed less than a round to impress the combat sports community by successfully winning his MMA debut against Blake Copper via a rear-naked choke finish in the opening round of their lightweight clash at ONE 167 last June 7.
The winning moment and post-fight interview of Ruotolo were posted by ONE Championship on their official YouTube channel, and they wrote the video's description:
"ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo made the leap to mixed martial arts with a stunning performance against American phenom Blake Cooper at ONE 167!"
Because of this dream MMA debut from the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, fans are looking forward to seeing him more in mixed martial arts action, as users @conjj17, @legitprowrestling6653, @chrisdudedurian1305, @ricardobjj24, and @minhnhi111 commented:
"Didn't want to be seen as a jiu-jitsu fighter, he really honed in on his striking... Well done!!! The future is bright for this young man.... Excited to see his climb to the top!"
"Phenomenal debut!"
"Id pay to see Kade fight Garry Tonon or Damien Anderson 🔥"
"I didnt expect Kade to be as dominant as he was. Definitely represented jiu jitsu the right way"
"FOR YEARS people have criticized Kade, Mikey, and BJJ in general saying "Yeah but if the other guy could punch, strike, elbow, there's no way the BJJ guy would win". Well well mother fuckers! 😘😘"
After winning his first six bouts in submission grappling matches, it was the Atos representative's seventh consecutive triumph under the ONE Championship banner.
Kade Ruotolo shifts his focus back to submission grappling as he faces Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver
Fans will have to wait for Ruotolo's next MMA fight a little bit longer as he prepares to defend his 26-pound golden belt against Mikey Musumeci in a champion-versus-champion showdown at the ONE 168: Denver card on September 6 inside the Ball Arena in Colorado.
It will be the 21-year-old American's fourth world title defense after successfully fending off challenges from Matheus Gabrial and Tommy Langaker (twice).
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE 167 via the free event replay.