“He really is a true legend” - Kade Ruotolo praises MMA pioneer turned coach Erik Paulson

The ONE lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo has a new mission – creating a memorable MMA debut with a victory when he steps into the Circle at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II.

Facing his fellow countryman Blake Cooper in U.S. primetime from the Impact Arena, Bangkok, the 21-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) prodigy has turned to one of the legendary MMA pioneers Erik Paulson, who now runs Combat Submission Wrestling.

In an interview with ONE recently, Ruotolo praised Paulson for opening his mind into sharpening his skillsets, including his takedowns, pinning and leg locks, to another level.

The Californian said:

"He really is a true legend. He’s got so many techniques up in his mind. And that’s why it’s so important to keep an open mind in jiu-jitsu because it can get blown."

Of course, this has also led to an evolution of his game plan, along with his brother and fellow ONE world champion Tye Ruotolo, ahead of his MMA debut on June 7.

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"Striking while on the ground will be important" - Blake Cooper ready to neutralize Kade Ruotolo's ground game

On the other end, Blake Cooper is also ready to put on a show against a formidable debutant in Kade Ruotolo.

The ONE lightweight MMA athlete has come up with a simple-yet-deadly tactics to match Ruotolo's dangerous ground game when they go head-to-head at ONE 167 from Bangkok's Impact Arena on Friday, June 7.

Going with heavy strikes as his bread and butter, Cooper elaborated in length to ONE that this is not a grappling match, but an MMA fight. There, every strike will be significant and can make a huge difference.

He said:

“When he’s going for submissions or he’s trying to do something with me, if I can catch him a couple of times [with strikes], he’s gonna think twice and hopefully let go of those submissions, and it’s gonna open up more opportunities for me."

“Striking while on the ground will be important.”

ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video is available free for those with existing Amazon Prime Video subscription in the United States and Canada.