"Not expecting no bloke" - Kade Ruotolo believes Nicolas Vigna will be his toughest test yet in thriving MMA run

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo will appear in his third MMA match under the ONE Championship banner on Feb. 20, against Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171: Qatar. Ruotolo and Vigna will be the curtain-opener of the main card in front of the Lusail Sports Arena.

Before he welcomes the Argentinian contender on the global stage, Kade Ruotolo spoke with veteran journalist Nick Atkin of The Bangkok Post in a recent interview.

According to the 22-year-old star, he expects a hard battle with Vigna because of his previous background of competing in the South American MMA circuit, as he said:

"I know he's undefeated. He's fighting out of Argentina, and he has a lot of tough guys over there. So definitely not expecting no bloke or anything like that."

Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview here:

Ruotolo is coming off an incredible first-round submission of Ahmed Mujtaba last November 2024 at ONE 169 when he showcased his rapidly improving striking skills that helped him secure the victory.

Kade Ruotolo wary of Nicolas Vigna's signature right hand that slept other fighters

Since this will be 'El Paisa's' inaugural outing under the world's largest martial arts organization, there is a shortage of information and video tapes about him, which became a challenge for Ruotolo in coming up with a fight plan.

However, the one-half of the famous Ruotolo twins know that Vigna has an atomic right hand that has helped him win matches by sending them to the shadow realm.

Kade Ruotolo mentioned this during his recent talk with The Bangkok Post, as he stated:

"To be honest, not a whole lot [that I know about him]. I know he's got a solid right hand. He's knocked out a lot of people with it."

Fans can watch all the action at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 via watch.onefc.com. The exciting event will emanate from the Lusail Sports Arena.