"I think Kade's an amazing athlete" - Shinya Aoki is eager to welcome Kade Ruotolo to ONE Championship

Shinya Aoki has been in the martial arts business for decades now and he can quickly spot talent when he sees it. Interestingly, the person he’s had high praise for recently is Kade Ruotolo, his next opponent inside the circle.

The former ONE lightweight world champion will welcome the debuting Ruotolo to ONE Championship at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot this Friday, which will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The two grapplers will feature in one of the two submission grappling matches on the card, with the other featuring Garry Tonon and Ruotolo’s twin brother Tye.

During the event’s virtual media day, Aoki said he’ll have his hands full against his 19-year-old opponent. The Japanese legend pointed out Ruotolo’s creativity when it comes to submissions and that he’ll be in trouble if he makes a single lapse in judgment against the teenager.

Shinya Aoki said:

“Honestly, I think Kade's an amazing athlete. You know, he's strong in every aspect. So, you know, I just got to watch out.”

Aoki added that fighting Ruotolo, who’s 20 years younger than him, made him more excited for the match that’s already built as youth vs. experience classic.

“Well, you know, Kade's super young and he's like, I think 20 years younger than me. So that just makes my heart beat. I'm excited.”

---

Shinya Aoki doesn’t mind the underdog label

Shinya Aoki already belongs in the upper echelon of MMA, having won the ONE lightweight world title multiple times in his career. He’s also captured titles in Shooto and DREAM.

‘Tobikan Judan’ also holds 30 submission wins in his MMA career, nine of which were under ONE Championship.

Despite his legendary resume, observers see Aoki as the underdog against the prodigious Ruotolo. 'Tobikan Judan' though, doesn’t mind the distinction. What’s important to him is how the match plays out and how he can handle Ruotolo’s pressure:

“Well, to be honest, I think you know, Kade will be the favorite and you know, it'll be his match but you know, we'll see. Well, people see that I'm the underdog and a lot of people favor Kade. It's a fight, you know, you never know what's going to happen until you actually fight on the mat. So we'll see.”