Upset-seeking Francisco Lo ready to leave a mark vs. Kade Ruotolo: “An opportunity to show my jiu-jitsu to the world”

Francisco Lo will finally have the opportunity to display his BJJ skills on an international platform as he takes on the current ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion, Kade Ruotolo, for the first time in his professional career.

The duo is set to face off in a catchweight bout on April 5 at ONE Fight Night 21, taking place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Prior to challenging one of the top submission experts of our time, Francisco Lo spoke with ONE Championship and expressed his determination to make the most of this chance to showcase his abilities and establish himself as a top athlete in the sport.

The young Brazilian prodigy, aged 23, stated:

“The challenges were certainly the main reason for me to join ONE Championship. The grappling division has grown a lot at ONE Championship, and I saw an opportunity to show my Jiu-Jitsu to the world. I’m very excited to make this debut and I want to put on a show for the crowd. And, of course, I want to come away with the victory and make a career in ONE Championship.”

This upcoming match against the Atos representative will also give him the chance to assess his abilities and issue a warning to Kade about potentially moving to his division and claiming the 26-pound golden belt from him.

The athlete, who is part of the Checkmat team, received his black belt in BJJ in 2022 and claimed victories in the IBJFF Pan American No-Gi and American National competitions.

Francisco Lo’s Confident Strategy to Submit Kade Ruotolo

During a recent interview, Francisco Lo confidently stated that he possesses the most effective technique for solving the Kade puzzle and could potentially defeat him during their upcoming match. If he succeeds, he will make history as the first athlete to defeat the 21-year-old BJJ prodigy.

Additionally, his victim list, which already boasts names such as Shinya Aoki, Uali Kurzhev, Matheus Gabriel, and Tommy Langaker (twice), will not include his next opponent as he looks to break his five-fight win streak.

The upcoming ONE Fight Night 21 will be broadcasted live during U.S. primetime and will be available at no additional cost for current Prime Video subscribers in North America.