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Before making his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut, reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is putting in extra work to ensure his striking is on point with his world-class grappling.
Thus far, Ruotolo is a perfect 6-0 under the ONE Championship banner, dominating the mats and claiming submission grappling gold. On Friday, June 7, he'll strap on a pair of four-ounce gloves for the first time as he makes his MMA debut against American standout Blake Cooper at ONE 167.
Speaking about his upcoming MMA premiere inside Bangkok's Impact Arena, Ruotolo revealed that he has been working on his striking daily in hopes of bringing it up to par with his BJJ skills.
"My technique obviously still feels sharp," Ruotolo said on the Talk-Jitsu Podcast. "I’m still flowing it when it comes to jiu-jitsu portions. Every single day just work on my striking, whether it be just sparring or whatever it may be. Just making sure the upper body catches on too."
"I have a tough opponent" - Kade Ruotolo praises Blake Cooper
Hoping to spoil Kade Ruotolo's MMA debut is Blake Cooper, a relative newcomer fighting out of Hawaii.
After going 3-0 as an amateur, Cooper made the transition to pro-MMA and immediately found success, scoring back-to-back finishes under the Cage Warriors and Destiny MMA banners. However, his ONE Championship debut in September didn't go as planned. Cooper came up short against Maurice Abevi, suffering a first-round knockout with less than 30 seconds to go in the round.
Despite Cooper's setback, Kade Ruotolo expects the Lion of Judah product to deliver a tough test in his first MMA outing.
"I have a tough opponent in Blake Cooper ahead of me," Ruotolo told ONE. "The entire Cooper family are legends. Heavy hands and good wrestling. It will be an amazing matchup. In about a month from now, I'll be back out here in Thailand."
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.
