ONE Championship launched its new “Inner Circle” event series on May 15 – and one of the highlights came from Kade Ruotolo.
Ruotolo successfully continued his impressive transition into MMA.
Entering the fight with a 3-0 record, all finishes, he faced his toughest test yet in veteran Hiroyuki Tetsuka.
Tetsuka, who came in with a 15-6 record and 13 finishes, had recently scored a major win over Shinya Aoki, and his experience showed early.
He managed to extend Ruotolo further than any previous opponent, becoming the first fighter to push him into the second round.
Despite the challenge, Ruotolo remained composed and continued to impose his pace.
He ultimately secured a knockout victory at 1:35 of the second round, moving his professional record to 4-0.
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While Ruotolo’s bout showcased the future of the division, the main event delivered high stakes at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Anatoly Malykhin reclaimed the heavyweight title with a devastating knockout over Oumar Kane, also known as “Reug Reug”, before announcing his retirement and vacating his titles.
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