WATCH: American star Kade Ruotolo's furious submission finish of Uali Kurzhev for the lightweight submission grappling gold
ONE Championship submission grappling star and divisional king Kade Ruotolo has had quite the run thus far in his career. One of his best performances came in just his second match in the promotion in October 2022.
At ONE on Prime Video 3, Ruotolo was vying to become the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship against multi-time sambo gold medalist Uali Kurzhev.
Ruotolo entered the bout with a full head of steam as he defeated Japanese combat sports icon and former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki via unanimous decision following an intense 10-minute chess match.
The Kurzhev School product repeatedly staved off Ruotolo's approaches before they were able to properly lock up, with the American getting the big breakthrough off a slick back take after a failed throw by Kurzhev.
Despite the Japanese martial arts icon threatening a leg lock, the Atos fighter eventually worked his way to a nasty heel hook that left Kurzhev with no other choice than to tap out.
Watch Kade Ruotolo's lightweight submission grappling world championship-winning performance below:
Kade Ruotolo is headed for grappling showcase on April 5
With three highly-rated defenses under his belt, Kade Ruotolo looks forward to bringing his championship-caliber back to the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on April 5 as part of ONE Fight Night 21.
His opponent then will be ONE Championship newcomer Francisco Lo, better known to Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) fans as 'Chico', in a catchweight (180 lbs) submission grappling contest.
The Manaus, Brazil, native is a highly decorated BJJ competitor who won first place in the 2023 IBJJF American Nationals and Pan Championship No-Gi competitions, and he believes that he can pull off the upset against the 21-year-old star.
ONE Fight Night 21 will be airing live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America. Check your local listing for more details on how to watch this unmissable event in U.S. primetime on April 5.