ONE Championship returns to Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, Jun. 7, and two massive bouts were revealed for the U.S. primetime event over the weekend.
First off, ONE lightweight submission grappling champion Kade Ruotolo will make his MMA debut on the card against Blake Cooper.
Ruotolo is coming off a submission win against Francisco Lo in a 180-pound catchweight grappling contest at ONE Fight Night 21 this past weekend, and he has been planning his foray into MMA for over a year.
Cooper will not want to be the first victim of the Atos BJJ superstar in the all-encompassing sport. The American dropped his ONE debut last September and will try to use this opportunity to not only get his first promotional win but also use Ruotolo’s name as a springboard into lightweight relevancy.
Additionally, ONE 167 will see the return of Liam Harrison to the bantamweight Muay Thai division.
Harrison has teased retirement in recent months, but he is not ready to hang up the gloves just yet and will return against Japan’s Katsuki Kitano.
Kitano won his ONE debut last October. A victory over Harrison would unquestionably be his biggest win to date and elevate him up the ranks in the exciting bantamweight division.
But Harrison will want to show he still has knockout power to his name. The British striker has electrified many crowds across his fabled career, and he’ll look to do it again in front of the Bangkok audience on June 7.
ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga takes place on Friday, Jun. 7, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.