Blake Cooper wants to prove that he is better than what his record shows, and he believes he do it by spoiling a highly anticipated debut. The Hawaiian fighter lost his previous fight against Maurice Abevi but this time he wants to rectify his shortcomings against his next opponent, Kade Ruotolo.

The 27-year-old is set to face ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo in his first-ever MMA bout at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II this Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Blake Cooper prepares to match Kade Ruotolo’s pace in a comeback fight

Ruotolo is one of the faces of ONE’s submission grappling division, and he has constantly impressed fans with his fast-paced and highly creative offense. Cooper believes the Atos star will utilize those same weapons when he transitions to the all-encompassing sport, and he’s been preparing to counteract them to get his journey in the world’s largest martial arts organization back on track.

“I feel like he’s going to try to push the pace on me because of my last fight, you know? So I’m ready. I’m ready to match his pace, and we’ll see who breaks first,” he told ONE in an interview.

At ONE Fight Night 14 back in September, Cooper suffered the first loss of his professional career when Switzerland’s Maurice Abevi blitzed him for a quick first-round finish.

Cooper vows improved preparation ahead of rematch at ONE 167

After losing in such a vulnerable manner, it won’t be surprising if Ruotolo indeed opts to come forward early and attack the Lion of Judah athlete. However, Cooper insists that he has learned from his mistakes and will do everything in his power to stop the same thing from happening. “I feel like I could have prepared a lot more for that fight. I felt like I was doing good up until my body kind of just gave out. I got tired, man. I just didn’t put in the hard work that I needed to do, and I got tired. It’s just as simple as that,” he said.

“I’m doing things a lot different this time around and preparation is a lot better this time, so you know it’s going to be a different fight.” Cooper will need to be at his best if he wants to upstage his much-heralded opponent. Ruotolo may be competing in his first MMA match this Friday, but with his style and desire for violence, it was only a matter of time before he moved to the sport.

Whether it will be a massive upset by Cooper or an electrifying win for the highly-regarded grappling talent remains to be seen. But fans are guaranteed a treat when their tussle goes down at ONE 167.