ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is thrilled to have the opportunity to scrap with an adversary who hunts for submissions as much as he does.
The 21-year-old BJJ wonder returns at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video this Friday, against Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight all-grappling affair.
While Lo is a newbie in the world's largest martial arts organization, he has already built quite a reputation in the grappling scene.
The feisty 23-year-old Brazilian is known for his relentless pursuit of finishes in 'The Gentle Art,' as he is often seen chaining crazy submissions from his back or finishing them from the top position.
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Given Lo's desire to push the pedal to the metal for the duration of the match, Kade Ruotolo can't help but get pumped for the exciting match-up that's ahead of him.
In an interview on the South China Morning Post, the Atos standout guaranteed an amazing display of grappling inside 'The Mecca of Muay Thai' Lumpinee Stadium. He said:
"I'm super excited especially because of the match-up. I know Francisco is an exciting match-up. He throws kind of a caution to the wind and throws out crazy submissions like jumping triangles, flying triangles, foot locks. He kind of attacks all parts of the body. So it will be an entertaining match-up for sure."
ONE Fight Night 21 will air live on US Primetime on April 5, free for existing Prime Video members in North America.
Here's Tye and Kade Ruotolo's full interview with SCMP MMA:
Underdog Francisco Lo confident he can force Kade Ruotolo to tap
Kade Ruotolo has emerged victorious in all five of his outings in the home of martial arts so far. Francisco Lo aims to snap that streak this coming Friday.
In his interview with ONE, the Checkmat representative believes he can do the unthinkable and force the youngest ADCC world champion to yield.
"I think this fight will end with a submission from me. I believe we have a very similar game, but I can already imagine submitting him."