ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo will make his MMA debut in ONE Championship this weekend, and he will have a very interested fan in Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin watching him do it. 

The three-division ONE World Champion recently expressed his excitement for ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II, which will feature Ruotolo taking on Blake Cooper in lightweight MMA action when it goes down this Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Anatoly Malykhin commends Kade Ruotolo 

Like the rest of the world, Malykhin has witnessed the American grappling phenom dominate the competition on the mats throughout his two-year tenure in ONE, and he believes transitioning to MMA is the next logical move for him.

“I’m happy that Kade is seeking new challenges because no one can compete with him in grappling, and he wants to test himself in MMA. I’ll be excited to watch his fight, cheering for him, and worried about him,” Malykhin told ONE in an interview. 

“It’s a good step for him to improve. I think he has what it takes to be a champion. I expect him to have his hand raised in his debut.” 

Grappling stars like Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon and Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida saw success when they moved to the all-encompassing sport in ONE Championship, laying a path for Ruotolo to follow. 

However, while Tonon and Almeida utilized their ground skill to propel them to wins, the lightweight submission grappling king appears determined to unleash a yet-to-be-seen striking game – based on interviews ahead of ONE 167. 

“Sladkiy” has some crucial advice for Ruotolo

Malykhin isn’t sure that’s the right move for Ruotolo, and he offered advice to the 21-year-old on how he can take the win this weekend. 

“I don’t think Kade needs to rely heavily on striking right away in his first fight. He needs to win and gain confidence by doing what he does best. I would definitely wrestle if I was in his place, just like I did in my early fights,” he shared.   

“As his striking skills improve, he can try his hand at striking with other grapplers. But you also have to consider the opposition. If the opponent is a striker, then you need to wrestle. If the opponent is a wrestler, then you can try your striking skills.”