American Superstar Returns for Blockbuster MMA Clash

ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo is back, and this time, he is returning to the MMA realm.

The American takes on Japanese veteran Hiroyuki Tetsuka in a lightweight matchup at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 15, live exclusively for members on live.onefc.com.

Kade Ruotolo arrives as one of the most compelling MMA stories in ONE Championship, a generational BJJ talent who has made the transition to full mixed martial arts look almost effortless.

His 3-0 MMA record, built entirely on first-round submission finishes, has placed him squarely in the conversation for a future title shot against reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion Christian Lee. A fourth straight victory would bring that opportunity even closer.

Kade Ruotolo Demolished Every MMA Opponent He’s Faced

Kade Ruotolo’s MMA journey has been one of the most captivating storylines in ONE Championship over the past year.

The 23-year-old California native made the transition to full mixed martial arts in June 2024. Within just nine months, he produced three first-round submission finishes over high-profile opposition in Blake Cooper, Ahmed “Wolverine” Mujtaba, and Nicolas “El Paisa” Vigna.

Each victory came before the first round ended, a remarkable consistency that signals the speed with which Ruotolo is able to impose his game regardless of the context around it.

Kade Ruotolo’s twin brother, Tye, currently holds the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title and has compiled two MMA wins of his own, making the Ruotolo family’s impact across multiple ONE Championship disciplines one of the sport’s most remarkable ongoing stories.

Tetsuka Arrives to Kade Ruotolo Clash on Back of Career-Defining Win Over Aoki

Tetsuka is a fighter who knows how to deliver when the moment matters most.

The man known as “Japanese beast” is a Pancrase Champion who started his ONE Championship career with six victories in his first seven bouts. But then, he suffered back-to-back losses that derailed his momentum in the welterweight division.

Rather than fade from contention, the 36-year-old Japanese veteran regrouped, moved down a weight class, and delivered his most significant result in years at ONE 173 last November. Facing arch-rival and former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki in a heated contest, Tetsuka secured a second-round TKO finish that sent a clear message to the rest of the lightweight division.

His 7-3 ONE record includes six victories via finish, underlining the finishing instincts that have defined the best moments of his promotional career.

Kade Ruotolo’s Grappling Makes Him Dangerous Lightweight Star

Before Kade Ruotolo ever threw an MMA punch, he had already established himself as one of the generational talents in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling. His overall BJJ record of 29-3 reflects a career built at the absolute highest levels of the sport, and his ONE submission grappling journey produced six victories before he even attempted to compete in MMA.

He claimed the inaugural ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Championship in 2022, months after defeating legend Shinya Aoki on his promotional debut, and has since made three successful title defenses.

The Californian holds his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title while simultaneously pursuing MMA gold, a dual ambition that few fighters in the promotion’s history have attempted.

Watch The Inner Circle live on Friday, May 15, exclusively for members at live.onefc.com.