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Kade Ruotolo knows he's entering a new landscape once he straps the four-ounce gloves.
The reigning ONE light heavyweight submission grappling world champion will make his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut at ONE 167 against American star Blake Cooper.
Before he faces up against Cooper on June 7 at Impact Arena, Ruotolo sat down with ONE Championship for an interview detailing his thought process.
Kade Ruotolo said that while there's a ton of hype surrounding his jump, he's not taking Cooper lightly. He said:
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"I've already watched his last ONE Championship performance. I'm definitely not taking anybody lightly."
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Cooper, who already has one fight under the ONE Championship banner, is the younger brother of PFL star Ray Cooper III and comes from a long line of MMA fighters.
The 27-year-old went 3-0 in the amateurs before chalking up two straight wins in his young professional career.
Although Ruotolo has the obvious advantage on the ground, it would be wise for him to avoid getting stuck in a striking exchange against the gifted Cooper on the feet.
Nevertheless, Ruotolo made sure that he had his striking game on point.
Ruotolo often worked out with UFC star Chito Vera in California and trained with ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon whenever he's in Bangkok.
Kade Ruotolo is confident with his striking heading into MMA debut
While he's absolutely lethal on the ground, Kade Ruotolo admits his striking still needs some work.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom is confident his Muay Thai and kickboxing would be enough when he faces Blake Cooper in Bangkok.
Ruotolo said that while he's far from the level of legendary boxer Mike Tyson or ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, he can still be a problem for anyone on the feet. He added:
"I'm no Mike Tyson or Superlek. I'm not quite there yet, but every day I'm getting better and pushing my hands. The main thing is I'm comfortable striking."
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
