"He's going to be the problem" - Kade Ruotolo has fans expecting big things after dominant MMA debut against Blake Cooper

The successful MMA debut of reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo came on June 7 at ONE 167. There, he submitted Blake Cooper in their MMA clash inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ruotolo only needed one round to submit Cooper via a rear-naked to officially record his first MMA victory. The full fight video of their showdown was posted by ONE Championship recently on YouTube, with the description:

"ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo made his first foray into mixed martial arts when he took on American warrior Blake Cooper at ONE 167!"

See the video below:

The Atos representative not only imposed his superior grappling skills against his fellow American fighter but also showcased his constantly improving striking skills. Ruotolo landed a few solid punches and kicks before going back to his bread-and-butter technique of grappling to eventually get the win.

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Fans expect Kade Ruotolo to become a household contender in the lightweight MMA division for years to come

Following this incredible performance from Ruotolo, fans have now officially bought his MMA stock and expect him to become a top contender soon in the lightweight MMA division.

Platform users @earlboado859, @Godlike-87, @jax9299, and @lufc76 have poured in the positive messages for the one-half of the famous Ruotolo twins, as they commented:

"Kade Ruotolo might end up becoming one of the most successful BJJ to MMA converts that we have seen in a long time.......splendid job champ 👏👏👏"

"He's going to be the problem."

"Striking was actually quite dope"

"These two are going to be a problem in the next 2/3 years in MMA and beyond I mean..."

Screenshot of fans' comments

Kade will now prepare for his world title defense against ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver inside the Ball Arena in Colorado.

North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE 167 via the free event replay.