Former ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks is excited to see what kind of performance Kade Ruotolo delivers in his mixed martial arts debut. After capturing the ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship, the 21-year-old BJJ star will strap on the four-ounce gloves for a showdown with American MMA standout Blake Cooper at ONE 167 on Friday, June 7.
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Excited to see how things play out between Ruotolo and Cooper, 'The Monkey God' offered his thoughts on the upcoming clash during a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA. He said:
"They're going to be like Jake Shields on the ground right but we'll see where his striking goes. I know that they're up in Thailand working and stuff, but yeah hopefully we get to see Kade as a knockout artist kind of like Bo Nickal."
Ruotolo's opponent, Blake Cooper, may only have three fights to his credit, but he comes from a long line of notable mixed martial artists, including his father, Ray Cooper Jr., and two-time welterweight champion Ray Cooper III. He'll be seeking his first win under the ONE banner after coming up short in his promotional debut in September.
Blake Cooper has a game plan for Kade Ruotolo's inevitable takedown attempts
As one of the world's greatest grapplers, many expect Kade Ruotolo to lean on his submission game against Blake Cooper at ONE 167.
However, Cooper feels that he has the perfect game plan in place to make the Atos Jiu-Jitsu star think twice about shooting in and trying to take things to the ground. In an interview with the promotion, Cooper said:
"When he's going for submissions or he's trying to do something with me, if I can catch him a couple of times [with strikes], he gonna think twice. And hopefully, let go of those submissions. It's gonna open up more opportunities for me."
Will Cooper be able to nullify Ruotolo's ground game en route to a noteworthy win?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.
