Submission grappling prodigy Kade Ruotolo is pumped to once again throw himself into the fire against one of the planet’s most talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts.

This Friday, April 5, in U.S. Primetime, the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion will take on promotional newcomer Francisco Lo in a non-title 180-pound catchweight tilt that has fans around the globe anxious with anticipation.

Slated to go down at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, that matchup promises plenty of action for as long as it lasts.

Kade Ruotolo looks ready for the challenge of Francisco Lo

Widely regarded as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound grapplers, Ruotolo has earned the reputation as a ferocious submission hunter revered for his relentlessly aggressive attacks.

However, the young Californian will come into this contest following three straight decision wins in ONE. While he was dominant in those outings, Ruotolo admits that he’s not satisfied with anything less than a submission.

The 21-year-old looked back at his decision victories over Shinya Aoki, Matheus Gabriel, and Tommy Langaker:

“It was the funniest thing because that’s been my ONE Championship curse as of recently. You know, it’s my style, it’s no lack of effort, I’m coming close in almost every match. The Shinya match I had the buggy choke at the end, that was real tight. The Tommy one, I cinched in a triangle that was pretty tight. I was always pushing and I felt my opponent breaking at the end but I just wasn’t able to get the finish. Same thing with my Matheus match.”

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Ruotolo’s twin brother, current ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo, also competes at ONE Fight Night 21, defending his gold against Izaak Michell.

Will Lo’s aggressive style match up to Ruotolo’s wrestling?

According to Tye, he and his brother are much more likely to find the submission finish when facing equally aggressive opponents.

By way of example, Tye compares his lightning-fast submission over Garry Tonon to his decision victory against former two-division MMA king Reinier de Ridder:

“I think the common denominator there is when people come to us to fight, they usually end up getting submitted. Garry, Garry came to fight. Shinya was a little bit more defensive, Reinier de Ridder was a bit more defensive, those matches we didn’t get the sub. Guys that really come for us, come to attack.”

For fans, the good news is that Lo is renowned for his ultra-aggressive and innovative submission attack, and is always willing to put himself in danger in pursuit of the finish.

Simply put, the table is set for Kade Ruotolo to return to his submission-happy ways on April 5.

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