Lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo says it’s “intriguing to see” how Takeru’s ONE debut will go against Superlek

Although focused on his upcoming world title defense against Tommy Langaker in the co-main event of ONE 165, ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is also closely monitoring how promotional debutant Takeru Segawa will perform in his world title main event fight with ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.

The stacked ONE 165 card will emanate inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on January 28 and Ruotolo is looking forward to Takeru’s maiden match for ONE Championship.

In his pre-fight interview, one-half of the famous Ruotolo twins revealed that he is intrigued by how the Japanese superstar would handle the pressure of performing at his best in front of a global audience and in front of his fellow compatriots inside the sold-out crowd.

The 21-year-old BJJ savant said:

“I think it’s a bit of a question mark, right? I mean, obviously, this is his first time stepping in [the ONE Championship ring] and challenging for the belt. So, it’s going to be really intriguing to see. Some people react differently to the pressure. Some people absorb it and perform even better. Some may kind of succumb to the pressure.”

Although he already won three titles in three divisions in K-1, Takeru will be in for a tougher competition under the world’s largest martial arts organization, where the best fighters in the world are signed throughout the roster.

Being the world champion and the gold standard of the flyweight division, Superlek is expected to give ‘The Natural Born Crusher’ his toughest fight in his professional career by far.

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Kade Ruotolo assures a submission finish of Tommy Langaker in their world title rematch

Before he can enjoy the main event showdown between Takeru and Superlek, Ruotolo needs to defend his world title against Langaker, whom he previously defeated during their first meeting at ONE Fight Night 11 via unanimous decision.

Despite the victory, the Atos representative wasn’t satisfied with that result, which is why he promised to get a submission win over his Norwegian rival in their latest encounter. Ruotolo guns for his fifth straight win in ONE Championship.

ONE 165 is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.