"Heavy hands and good wrestling" - Kade Ruotolo expects Blake Cooper to give him a tough test in his MMA debut

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States is ready to make his highly anticipated professional mixed martial arts debut.

The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has long talked up a storm about making the move to MMA, and now it's finally happening.

Ruotolo is set to face fellow American Blake Cooper in a lightweight MMA contest at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video. The event broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 7th.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Ruotolo talked about his first opponent in MMA, and gave the talented foe his props.

The 21-year-old phenom said:

"The first week of June, it's on. I'm super fired up. It's been a long time coming. I have a tough opponent in Blake Cooper ahead of me. 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."

Needless to say, Kade Ruotolo is more than excited to be able to finally throw hands. But fans expect his jiu-jitsu to still reign supreme when that Circle door closes.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Kade Ruotolo is not taking Blake Cooper lightly in MMA debut: "I've already watched his last ONE Championship performance"

21-year-old grappling ace Kade Ruotolo knows a lot is riding on his next fight, when he makes his professional mixed martial arts debut against Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video.

As such, the young phenom has done his due diligence and studied Cooper's fighting style extensively.

He told ONE Championship:

"I've already watched his last ONE Championship performance. I'm definitely not taking anybody lightly."