Kade Ruotolo just made a spectacular entrance into professional MMA – with a first-round finish at ONE 167, against Blake Cooper!

For the initial minutes of his MMA debut, Ruotolo appeared to be a competent striker.
He landed some heavy kicks and demonstrated solid footwork.

However, his grappling expertise soon came to the forefront.
Despite Cooper’s NAIA wrestling credentials, Ruotolo managed to land significant strikes and cancel out any takedown attempts.

He then pressured Cooper against the cage, secured double underhooks, and swiftly transitioned to his back.
From there, Ruotolo landed a few punches before getting both hooks in and switching to a Body Triangle for control.

He then got his arm around Cooper’s neck and secured a Rear Naked Choke…
Forcing his opponent to tap out within seconds, in the very first round.

Check out the finish on the video below:

 

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Kade also received the $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship’s CEO, Chatri Sityodtong.

 

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With this first-round submission win, Kade Ruotolo improved to 1-0 in his MMA career