Kade Ruotolo will be back in MMA competition on Thursday, Feb. 20, at ONE 171: Qatar.
The ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling Champion has been perfect in his MMA venture to date, but his next test will pit him against Argentina’s Nicolas Vigna.
Ruotolo made his MMA debut at ONE 167 against Blake Cooper. In their short-lived match, the Atos BJJ representative took the action to the mat and choked out Cooper.
In his return at ONE 169, Ruotolo got to flash some of his stand-up game against Ahmed Mujtaba. After stunning the Pakistani with an overhand right, he went back to his elite submission game and finished with a D’Arce choke.
Vigna will get a huge opportunity in his promotional debut, but he enters with more MMA experience. The Argentinian has a perfect 7-0 record, and scoring a win over Ruotolo would immediately thrust him into the thick of the lightweight pack.
“El Paisa” has finished three of his opponents by KO/TKO and four via submission. His well-rounded abilities will be put to the test against Ruotolo’s ultra-aggressive game.
The lightweight scrap joins a growing card for ONE 171, bolstering the action with a high-stakes, all-action MMA showdown. The event will be headlined by two championship bouts as Jonathan Haggerty defends the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against Wei Rui and reigning king Joshua Pacio meets interim champ Jarred Brooks in a ONE Strawweight MMA World Title unification matchup.
Both men will be motivated to show their worth and establish themselves as a lightweight threat in 2025 on a huge card to start the year.
ONE 171: Qatar airs live on Thursday, Feb. 20, from the Lusail Sports Arena.