Liam Harrison’s Return and Kade Ruotolo’s MMA Debut Added to ONE 167 in June

Published 04/09/2024, 3:01 AM EDT

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ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video is shaping up to be another unmissable event from ONE Championship, with the recent addition of two more incredible bouts. 

The card, set to go down on Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, will now see the return of Liam Harrison to active competition and the MMA debut of grappling sensation Kade Ruotolo. It’s bound to be a thrilling watch so here’s more about it.

The return of Liam Harrison

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Harrison is set to take on rising Japanese star Katsuki Kitano in bantamweight Muay Thai action, while Ruotolo will take on fellow American Blake Cooper in lightweight MMA. “Hitman” has been on the shelf since August 2022, when he suffered a nasty knee injury in his challenge to then-ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama at ONE on Prime Video 1. 

After multiple setbacks on the road to recovery, Harrison has worked his way back to full strength, and he is now ready to bring his exciting brand of Muay Thai back to the world’s largest martial arts organization. Standing in his way will be Kitano, who is riding a seven-fight win streak in his professional career. 

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The latest win for the 27-year-old came in his ONE Championship debut at ONE Friday Fights 38 last October. That evening, he overcame Turkish striker Halil Kutukcu via unanimous decision. Kitano will surely make it his life’s mission to spoil the return of his legendary foe and score his eighth straight win. 

Meanwhile, Ruotolo will finally step out of his comfort zone to compete in his first mixed martial arts bout at the spectacular event. Kade is the reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion, and he has been training and competing in jiu-jitsu since he could walk alongside his twin brother, Tye. 

Ruotolo’s debut

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The American grappling prodigy has cross-trained for years in preparation for an inevitable transition to MMA, and he is now ready for that move. His first test will be Cooper, a second-generation fighter who had an accomplished amateur MMA career before he went professional. 

Through his MMA journey, “Lion of Judah” has shown his ability to finish opponents on the ground and the feet, and those skills could cause problems for Ruotolo. ONE 167 will be headlined by Stamp Fairtex’s first defense of the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against friend and former training partner Denice Zamboanga.

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In the co-main event, Tawanchai PK Saenchai will put his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title on the line against the dangerous “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut. The event will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon subscription. 

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Written by:

Prit Chauhan

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Prit Chauhan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His portfolio shows him as the go-to event coverage writer at ES and his work on UFC 297 is proof of the same. As an experienced writer and a longtime MMA fan, Prit’s strong suit lies in telling the relatively unknown and more personal stories of fights and fighters.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das