“Really hard to root against him” - Kade Ruotolo putting all his chips on Superlek in titanic Tokyo clash against Takeru

Kade Ruotolo may be gearing up for an all-important tussle this Sunday, but there’s no way he’s letting himself get too caught up in the event and miss the card’s main event.

The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will put his belt on the line against Tommy Langaker in the co-main event of ONE 165 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Ruotolo knows the magnitude of his world title rematch against Langaker, a gold medal winner in the 2023 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships. Nevertheless, he’ll become an adoring fan when Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Takeru Segawa take centerstage for the main event.

Superlek will defend his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title against the debuting Takeru in a match that could contend for Fight of the Year honors.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo said it'd be almost ludicrous to bet against Superlek.

Kade Ruotolo, however, didn’t discount Takeru and believes anything can happen in a fight between two striking megastars.

"Obviously, Superlek has proven time and time again why he’s the champion. It’s really hard to root against him. [Takeru] is I guess new blood, you could almost say. It’s just a clash of titans pretty much.”

Superlek is riding an incredible run of form, with eight straight wins including a hard-fought decision victory against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Takeru, meanwhile, is the only three-division K-1 Kickboxing world champion and is making his promotional debut this Sunday.

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

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Kade Ruotolo expects Superlek to retain the gold against Takeru

Kade Ruotolo isn’t just betting on Superlek, he’s expecting ‘The Kicking Machine’ to silence the Tokyo crowd at ONE 165.

The 21-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt had a front-row seat to how Superlek operated when he watched the Thai superstar in his promotional debut at ONE 157 in May 2022.

Superlek was at his destructive best during that night when he dominated Taiki Naito for the unanimous decision win.

In the same interview, Ruotolo said:

“I’d have to go Superlek only because I’ve personally seen him perform live in action, and I was so impressed. His mental and physical toughness, it’s going to be really difficult to bet against him.”