“Gonna be fire” - Fans expect pure excitement from Kade Ruotolo’s catchweight matchup against Francisco Lo

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will welcome accomplished BJJ artist Francisco Lo to ONE Championship at ONE Fight Night 21.

On April 5, the promotion returns to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok for a fight card featuring two of the greatest grapplers in the sport today. Ruotolo, who has yet to be defeated since stepping inside the Circle nearly two years ago, will square off with 2023 IBJJF Pan Championship gold medalist Francisco Lo.

"Fight announcement. Kade Ruotolo welcomes Francisco Lo to ONE in a catchweight (180 pounds) submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video. Who you got?"

Fans shared their excitement over the intriguing matchup between Ruotolo and Lo, writing:

"Gonna be fire"

"It's gonna catch fire emmmm"

"Sub for the dub lesgoooo"

"Let's go @franciscolojj"

"Izaak and Francisco joining ONE is great we need Diego Pato vs. Mikey next"

"This gonna be good"

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Francisco Lo has an upset on his mind in highly anticipated ONE debut

Making his promotional debut, Francisco Lo carries with him 49 career victories, 28 of which come by way of submission for an impressive 57% finish rate. In addition to his impressive performance at the Pan Championships last year, Lo also took first place at the IBJJF Brazilian Nationals in 2022 as a brown belt.

But as good as Lo is, he will face an incredibly tough test when he steps on martial arts' biggest global stage.

Kade Ruotolo is 5-0 in ONE, defeating a variety of notable names, including Japanese legend Shinya Aoki, four-time Sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev, and Norwegian superstar Tommy Langaker in back-to-back bouts.

Will Francisco Lo shock the world and establish himself as the next big thing in ONE Championship, or will the 21-year-old Ruotolo once again prove why he is one of the greatest grapplers on the planet?

Fans in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nichols live and for free on Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on April 5.