Kade Ruotolo, Francisco Lo & Ben Tynan; 3 Fights That Could Steal the Show at One Fight Night 21

Published 04/04/2024, 12:52 AM EDT

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Fans are in for a treat this weekend with an action-packed offering from ONE Championship. On Friday, April 5, the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand plays host to ONE Fight Night 21: Nicolas vs Eersel. The event will see Regian ‘The Immortal’ Eersel defending the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship against Alexis ‘Barboza’ Nicolas in the main event.

In the co-main event, Tye Ruotolo will be challenged by Izaak Michell for the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship in a clash between two of the brightest talents in the sport today. The 10-fight card is also filled with other exciting bouts. Moreover, all these fights have the potential to be hailed as the fight of the night.

ONE Fight Night 21 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Here are three bouts that could steal the show this weekend:

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Kade Ruotolo vs. Francisco Lo – Catchweight Submission Grappling

ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo will not be putting his belt on the line in this match. However, there’s no question that this pairing with Francisco Lo could be a co-main event bout if it was.

Lo will compete in his first-ever match in the promotion but is a decorated BJJ black belt who has the credentials to challenge the American for his coveted strap. The Checkmat representative is known for his exciting, ultra-aggressive style. Moreover, it has helped him win both prestigious gi and no-gi competitions.

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He will be a great matchup for Ruotolo, who employs a similar style of attack when he’s on the mats. Coming from three straight unanimous decision wins, the 21-year-old will surely be hungry for a submission.

Ben Tynan vs. Duke Didier – Heavyweight MMA

The organization’s heavyweight MMA ranks are getting filled with competitive monsters, and it recently added a colorful personality to the fray. Undefeated Canadian star Ben Tynan is looking to follow up his successful promotional bow at ONE Fight Night 16 last November with another strong performance against Duke Didier this time around.

Fans anticipated the debut of ‘Vanilla Thunder’ after seeing his creative promotions on his social media page. He was as good as advertised against heavy-hitting Kang Ji-Won, knocking out the South Korean behemoth in the third round.

Now, he faces a fighter who is looking for redemption. Didier lost his first match in the world’s largest martial arts organization by the slimmest of margins. And now, he will no doubt look to steal some “Thunder” from Tynan.

Jacob Smith vs. Denis Puric – Flyweight Muay Thai

Rodtang Jitmuangnon has long reigned in the flyweight Muay Thai ranks. Further, this pairing between Jacob Smith and Denis Puric could give the Thai superstar an idea of how the talent is getting more competitive within their ranks.

Smith faced ‘The Iron Man’ once before, losing to the divisional king in the first round of their fight. Since then, he has bounced back by knocking out Walter Goncalves in the first round of their bout at ONE Fight Night 17 last December.

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On that same night, Puric took an exciting second-round knockout win over Vietnamese star Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat. ‘The Bosnian Menace’ has made it clear multiple times that he wants a shot at Rodtang, and picking up a decisive win against the #2-ranked fighter in the division could help put him in that conversation.

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

With both men possessing legitimate stopping power, this match may not need all three rounds to declare a winner. Which fight are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Sushant Sharma

920Articles

One take at a time

Sushant Sharma is a UFC Content Analyst at EssentiallySports. A senior writer with almost 1000 articles under his belt, Sushant is always scanning the MMA landscape for current trends and breaking news. His knowledge and expertise in the sport are well-reflected in the ‘Opinion’ pieces he churns out from time to time.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das