Adrian Lee ONE Championship: "Their striking is what needs to be tested" - Adrian Lee pinpoints vulnerability in Kade and Tye Ruotolo's MMA arsenal

Teenage MMA sensation Adrian Lee has praised the Ruotolo brothers' success in transitioning to MMA after their dominant reign in submission grappling as undisputed titleholders.

But Lee is still skeptical about their striking skills because they have been using their superior skills to win matches and submit their opponents, as he told ONE Championship in a recent interview:

"It's been working well for them so far [using their grappling in MMA], but their striking is what needs to be tested."

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'The Phenom' and Kade have been linked to a potential clash, especially since both are in the same weight class at lightweight and have swept their first three MMA matches under the world's largest martial arts organization by submission finishes.

Lee is coming off a 63-second demolition of Japanese contender Takeharu Ogawa last March 23 at ONE 172 via submission finish inside the Saitama Super Arena to spoil the party of local fans and earn another $50,000 performance bonus from ONE head honcho, Chatri Sityodtong.

Adrian Lee says that he isn't the ideal matchup for Tye Ruotolo's MMA debut

After defending his ONE welterweight submission grappling world title against Dante Leon last May 2 at ONE Fight Night 31, Tye Ruotolo called out Adrian Lee for a potential clash in an MMA bout.

It will be Ruotolo's maiden outing in MMA after winning his first eight submission grappling fights in ONE Championship. But the Prodigy Training Center representative said that he's not the ideal matchup for the BJJ savant, and he explained it during a recent interview with the promotion:

"Honestly, I was surprised when Tye Ruotolo called me out for his MMA debut. Personally, I don't think I'm a good matchup for him. I don't think I'd be what a good feeder for him is, if that's what he's looking for. But I'm excited for that match."

Fans can rewatch all the action at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang via watch.onefc.com.

About the author

Anatoly is an MMA writer with six years of experience. He covers ONE Championship at Sportskeeda, where he has contributed over 1000 pieces. He previously served as the lead MMA writer for BetMGM’s blog.

Anatoly holds a bachelor's degree in communication, which he feels has had a significant impact on his career.

Jon Jones’ submission win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in 2011 got him hooked to MMA. His favorite fighters include Eduard Folayang, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anatoly provides Sportskeeda with exclusive pieces and has previously interviewed the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion, Adriano Moraes. While writing his pieces, he follows an extensive research process, referring only to credible sources like the UFC’s official website, Sherdog, and ESPN. He also likes to provide insights to his readers by keeping in mind important pillars of communication like media literacy and audience dynamics.

Anatoly advocates for a healthy and fit lifestyle by including boxing in his routine. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by C. Naik