Francisco Lo will compete in his first match in ONE Championship next weekend, but he is supremely confident that his skills will lead him to victory. At ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Friday, April 5, the Brazilian grappler will face Kade Ruotolo.

The two will fight in a catchweight submission grappling contest inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. While he may not be competing for the American’s ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title, Lo still has an incredible opportunity in front of him.

Francisco Lo won’t buckle under the pressure

Defeating the streaking Ruotolo could propel his popularity to unimaginable heights, and he made it clear that he has what it takes to score a finish in a recent interview with ONE.

“I believe in my game. I always look for the submission. I believe that my game will fit well with his game, and I believe I can submit him,” he said. Through five matches in the world’s largest martial arts organization, Ruotolo has displayed his innovative offense to overcome each fighter put in front of him.

In his latest outing, he capped off his rivalry with Tommy Langaker by scoring a second consecutive win over the Norwegian BJJ black belt. The Californian will step outside his weight class in the hopes of taking down yet another grappling star in Lo, who is fresh off winning two IBJJF tournaments in 2023, at ONE Fight Night 21. 

The Checkmat powerhouse insists that he’s ready to shock the world when he meets Ruotolo, and a finish is all but guaranteed. “I think this fight will end with a submission from me. I believe we have a very similar game, but I can already imagine submitting him,” Lo said. 

A move already decided

“I’m not going to say what the submission will be, but I already have it in mind, and I’m very excited, just waiting for the day of the fight to arrive.” He said. Clearly, he has studied Ruotolo for long enough to know where he can clinch him and submit him.

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ONE Fight Night 21 will be headlined by Regian Eersel’s latest defense of the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship against Alexis Nicolas, and it will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans in North America with an active Amazon subscription.  

Also Read: “It Means Everything to Me” – Marat Grigorian Determined to Claim ONE Gold at the Expense of Superbon