ONE Championship: Grappling King Kade Ruotolo To Make MMA Debut At ONE 167

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ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo has been flirting with the idea of transitioning into MMA for some time. Now, the submission magician makes the walk in 4-ounce gloves for the first time at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga.

Ruotolo locks horns with American compatriot Blake Cooper in a lightweight MMA clash on Saturday, 8 June, live inside Bangkok, Thailand's Impact Arena in a pivotal move that has been a long time coming.

Under no means has this been a small adjustment for Ruotolo. The 21-year-old has been training for this opportunity over the last couple of years while reaching great heights in submission grappling.

Ruotolo has felt ready for this moment for some time, and his eagerness shone through at ONE 165 in January. There, he offered to face former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki on a few hour's notice before defending his own World Title that same night.

Nevertheless, Ruotolo has had the time to prepare for the new challenge ahead of him in June. And if the American's history suggests anything, it's bound to be a roaring success.

A lifelong BJJ prodigy, the Californian rose to the greatest of heights at only 19 years old. Before his 20th birthday, Ruotolo held ADCC and ONE World Titles before he began thinking about the all-encompassing sport.

Now, after an unbeaten run in ONE Championship's lightweight submission grappling realm across six performances that have seen him cement his dominance and capture the belt, the new challenge will certainly give Ruotolo fresh motivation.

However, Cooper will offer as a stern assignment in Ruotolo's MMA debut. And what better way for the Hawaiian to create notoriety than to stop the Ruotolo's dream before it even gets going.

Cooper's been born and bred inside the MMA world through his father's own career, and the tutelage certainly paid off early in the form of an unbeaten amateur run in the sport.

The 27-year-old then put back-to-back victories together at the start of his professional MMA career before signing with ONE. But his momentum fell to pieces in his promotional debut after succumbing to Maurice Abevi's strikes in September at ONE Fight Night 14.

Nevertheless, Cooper's skill set has been honed over many, many years. He has the potential to give Ruotolo a rude awakening in the famous 4-ounce gloves this June. And fans will be watching with bated breath to see how the grappling dynamo tackles his latest challenge at ONE 167.