"Watch your back" - Kade Ruotolo turns Uali Kurzhev's hip throw into a slick back-take entry

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is set to step out of weight class for a night to face Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight bout at ONE Fight Night 21. On April 5, inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the two grappling stars will lock horns in a 10-minute submission grappling match.

The young Ruotolo has had quite the path of destruction in ONE Championship since debuting in 2021. After winning his ONE debut and becoming the youngest ADCC world champion the year after, Ruotolo faced Sambo specialist Uali Kurzhev for the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world title.

Sharing a video of the fight on Instagram, ONE said:

Watch your back! 😳 Kade Ruotolo welcomes ONE debutant Francisco Lo in a catchweight submission grappling scrap on April 5 at ONE Fight Night 21 on @primevideo! @ruotolobrothersjiujitsu

Here's a clip of the action of that match:

Ruotolo's base, despite being mobile nearly all the time, is so strong that even Kurzhev - an expert at hip throws - couldn't somehow toss him to the ground with good technique and leverage.

This is one of the best aspects of Ruotolo's grappling game. He's as dynamic and explosive as a firecracker but strong and firm as a brick wall.

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Francisco Lo sees stylistic similarities between him and Kade Ruotolo

Kade Ruotolo, much like his twin brother and fellow ONE world champion Tye Ruotolo, are two of the most dynamic and offensive-minded grapplers today. Their frenetic pace is utilized to mount submission attempts after submission attempts, making it incrementally difficult to deal with.

Surprisingly, Ruotolo's April 5 opponent, Brazil's Francisco Lo, believes his style largely resembles the world champion's, telling ONE:

"I think we have very similar styles because I also aggressively look for submissions. He is also aggressive, doesn't like to tie up the fight, and is always looking for the submission."

Watch this epic clash of young grappling savants at ONE Fight Night 21, airing live on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.