Kade Ruotolo in Action at ONE Fight Night 21, Takes on Francisco Lo in Submission Grappling Action

Kade Ruotolo never turns down a chance to test his skills against anyone, and he will soon face a world-renowned talent in his next match. At ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs Nicolas on U.S. Primetime on Friday, April 5, the 21-year-old prodigy will take on Francisco Lo in a catchweight submission grappling match inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Their match will take place on the same night that Ruotolo’s twin brother, Tye, will defend his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship against Izaak Michell in the co-main event of the action-packed card. Their clash is set to shape the fate of both the fighters. Let’s have a look at the analysis.

Francisco Lo’s ambitious debut against Kade Ruotolo

While Kade holds the lightweight division’s gold, it will not be on the line in his next outing as it will be contested in a heavier weight class against the promotional newcomer. Lo has the credentials to be a legitimate challenger for a World Title though.

The 23-year-old Brazilian has been a black belt since May 2022 and, like the Ruotolos, is known for his ability to pull off creative finishes from practically any position. He has been making waves in the IBJJF scene, taking first place in both the IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championships and the IBJJF American Nationals.

The Checkmate representative owns notable wins over IBJJF World Champions Manuel Ribamar and Sebastian Rodriguez, as well as European Champion Mauricio Oliveira. He looks to add Ruotolo to his list of conquests in his first foray into the world’s largest martial arts organization, which is a feat that is easier said than done.

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Ruotolo has a new challenge in front of him

Through five bouts, the Atos standout has defeated several world-class athletes including Japanese martial arts legend Shinya Aoki, sambo World Champion Uali Kurzhev, and IBJJF World Champion Matheus Gabriel.

In his last two outings, he took on Norwegian jiu-jitsu black belt Tommy Langaker in arguably two of his greatest challenges so far in ONE. Through two 10-minute wars, Ruotolo came out victorious and successfully defended his prestigious World Title. Now, he will have a fresh new challenge at 180 pounds against a fighter with a similar all-action and aggressive style as him, which promises fireworks when they take center stage.

ONE Fight Night 21 will be headlined by Regian Eersel defending his ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship against Alexis Nicolas, and will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon subscription.

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