"A f****** beast on the mats" - Kade Ruotolo works out with famed MMA coach Ozzy Dugulubgov ahead of ONE 167

Famed MMA coach Ozzy Dugulubgov had nothing but high praise for Kade Ruotolo's mad BJJ skills after helping him prepare for his MMA debut at ONE 167.

Taking to his Instagram page this week, Dugulubgov expressed complete joy in having the opportunity to know Kade after spending the last two days together in California.

With Kade by his side in the reel, he told his followers:

"Finally I got to work with this young beast, right here. Amazing. What a pleasure to work with such an individual. Strong mindset, healthy positive vibes, and a f****** beast on the mats."

Before Kade, Ozzy Dugulubgov also briefly worked with other high-level grapplers- turned-fighters, including ONE Championship's Garry Tonon and UFC's Khamzat Chimaev.

So, he knows when someone has the potential to do great things for the future of the sport.

In regards to Kade, Dugulubgov is confident he'll do well in his debut MMA fight against fellow American competitor Blake Cooper at ONE 167 on June 7.

In the final caption below, the famed MMA coach continued by saying:

"Amazing two days of private sessions with this fine young man Kade @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu ! Big future is ahead for this talented fighter."

ONE 167 will air live from inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Friday, June 7 via Amazon Prime Video.

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"It's been a long time coming" - Kade Ruotolo is happy about embarking on his MMA journey while being a world champion

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is happy about finally transitioning to mixed martial arts this June.

The charismatic contender has dreamt about this moment for a while now after dominating the jiu-jitsu scene both inside and outside the promotion. To Kade, transitioning to MMA was always the objective.

Training in the art form since he was a child under world-class mentors and coaches, ONE Championship was indeed his best career move in terms of opportunities.

And finally, after doing what he promised to do as a champion - defending his world title three times - it was obvious that his next fight would take place in MMA.

Elated about his upcoming clash against Blake Cooper at ONE 167, Kade told ONE:

"The first week of June, it's on. I'm super fired up. It's been a long time coming."