WATCH: A tense Tye Ruotolo lets out a sigh of relief after watching twin brother Kade submit Blake Cooper in MMA debut

Kade Ruotolo (left) won his MMA debut against Blake Cooper (right) at ONE 167. (inset: Tye Ruotolo) [Photos via: ONE Championship]
Kade Ruotolo (left) won his MMA debut against Blake Cooper (right) at ONE 167. (inset: Tye Ruotolo) [Photos via: ONE Championship]

No other fighter was more worried for ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo's MMA debut at ONE 167 last Friday, June 7 than his twin brother and ONE welterweight submission grappling world titlist Tye Ruotolo.

Tye had every reason to be worried for his brother because his opponent, Blake Cooper, was a decorated amateur wrestler who won his first two pro-MMA fights by way of a finish.

However, Kade Ruotolo proved that he was more than capable of pulling off the victory as he worked his way to a rear-naked choke midway through the first round which lifted a heavy weight off the shoulders of his twin.

In a video posted by ONE on Instagram, fans can see the exact moment when everyone in Kade's corner, featuring Tye and his coaches Erik Paulson and Tyler Wombles, breathed a sigh of relief that the bout was over.

The win over the Lion of Judah product pushed Kade Ruotolo's overall ONE Championship record to an unblemished 7-0 with three submission victories under his belt.

Kade Ruotolo shows gratitude to his coaches for landmark MMA win

A successful MMA debut might not have happened for Kade Ruotolo had it not been for the work that his coaches have put him through and he was quick to acknowledge that fact.

In the post-fight interview with ONE commentator Mitch 'The Dragon' Chilson, Ruotolo stated:

"I'm just so thankful for my coaches for ONE, definitely couldn't have gotten the results today without my coaches. Tyler Wombles, Eric Paulson - both of them equally important, and obviously my brother as well. Also Professor [Andre] Galvao back home. Just thankful."

Fans in the United States and Canada can relive all the action from ONE 167 on demand via Prime Video.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra
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