Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Kade Ruotolo is set to make his MMA debut on June 7 against Blake Cooper at the ONE 167 card in Bangkok, Thailand.
Well, here’s some news for ya. Kade Ruotolo, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu champ, is stepping into the MMA ring. His debut? June 7. His opponent? Blake Cooper. The venue? The Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. This is all part of the ONE 167 card.
Who confirmed this? ONE Championship officials, that’s who. They spilled the beans to MMA Fighting last Friday.
Now, let’s talk about Kade. The guy started learning jiu-jitsu at the tender age of 3. Yeah, you heard that right. He and his twin bro, Tye, were practically babies. Fast forward to 2022, and he’s making history. At 19, he became the youngest competitor to snatch a gold medal at the ADCC Submission Fighting world championships. Impressive, huh?
And who trained him? None other than Andre Galvao, the famed grappler. Kade didn’t just participate in the tournament; he dominated it. Four matches, four wins, all by submission. He took home the gold in the 77kg category.
Now, at 21, he’s part of the ONE roster. He’s a four-time defending grappling champ. He’s got wins over Uali Kurzhev, a multi-time sambo world champ, Matheus Gabriel, and Tommy Langaker. Twice.
Kade hinted at a transition to MMA in early 2023. Guess what? That date’s finally here.
And he’s in good company. The card he’s joining is headlined by Stamp Fairtex, the reigning ONE atomweight champ. She’s defending her belt against Denise Zamboanga. So, mark your calendars, folks. This is gonna be one heck of a fight night.