"I'm not scared of punches" - Submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo eager to prove he belongs in MMA in upcoming debut

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is not afraid to get hit.

The 21-year-old BJJ prodigy made this clear after the world's largest martial arts organization recently confirmed his long-awaited mixed martial arts debut at ONE 167.

On June 7, Ruotolo will finally transition to MMA against Hawaii's Blake Cooper at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Needless to say, fans and pundits alike are curious how Kade Ruotolo's prodigious grappling skills will translate to MMA, especially with strikes involved.

Speaking to ONE Championship, the Atos standout assured he is tough enough to take and dish punishment on the feet.

"I'm not too scared of punches, which is usually the biggest barrier to overcome."

It is worth noting that Ruotolo has also competed in Combat BJJ, where open palm strikes are allowed.

We've also seen plenty of BJJ specialists who went on to have successful MMA careers over the years, thanks in large part to their impeccable ground game.

Kade, along with his twin brother Tye, of course, are generational talents whose grappling prowess alone would make them a serious threat even for seasoned MMA fighters.

They also have the magic of youth on their side, so they have plenty of time to shore up their striking.

Good thing we won't have to wait long to finally see Kade Ruotolo lace those four-ounce gloves.

Kade Ruotolo moves to MMA after a 6-0 run in ONE's submission grappling

Established grapplers like Shinya Aoki Uali Kurzhev, Matheus Gabriel, and Tommyt Langaker (twice) were all unable to keep up with Ruotolo's brilliance.

The youngest ADCC world champion made sure to notch another impressive submission win before taking his act to MMA.

At ONE Fight Night 21 last week, Ruotolo took out the gutsy Francisco Lo in their catchweight grappling affair. The 21-year-old stud even collected a neat $50,000 performance bonus after choking out the Brazilian with the 'Ruotolotine'.

Catch the replay of ONE Fight Night 21, which is free for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.