Kade Ruotolo Set for Title Defense, Helena Crevar Returns at The Inner Circle
ONE Championship has unveiled two blockbuster grappling matchups featuring top American talent.
Reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo defends his crown against Brazilian sensation Fabricio Andrey on Friday, June 26. Meanwhile, arguably the most popular women's grappler on the planet, Helena Crevar, takes on Paige Ivette Clymer on Friday, July 17.
Both bouts are 10-minute submission grappling contests at The Inner Circle, streaming exclusively on live.onefc.com.
Before the title defense, Ruotolo returns to The Inner Circle this Friday, May 15, for his fourth consecutive MMA appearance. This time, he faces Japanese veteran Hiroyuki Tetsuka.
Ruotolo Gets Up for Toughest World Title Defense
Ruotolo, the youngest ADCC World Champion in history, puts his gold on the line against one of the most credible challengers the division has produced.
Andrey, 26, brings a 106-27 BJJ record, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, and a perfect 3-0 ONE mark into the title fight, with all three promotional victories coming via unanimous decision.
Ruotolo's submission grappling credentials are unmatched at this weight. The 23-year-old California native became the youngest ADCC World Champion in history and made an instant impact on his ONE debut in 2022 by dominating Japanese legend Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki.
Months later, he claimed the inaugural ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title and has since defended it three times, compiling six submission grappling wins in the promotion across a 29-3 BJJ career record.
Crevar Returns in Openweight Submission Grappling Match
Crevar is making waves fast. The 19-year-old Las Vegas native and 2025 IBJJF No-Gi World Champion announced herself on the global stage in emphatic fashion at her ONE debut in January, submitting Teshya Noelani Alo via Estima lock in just 100 seconds.
A performance that clinical in a debut appearance placed her immediately among the most talked-about grapplers in the world, and her July 17 clash at The Inner Circle is the next step in building a legacy that is only just beginning.
Standing across from her is Clymer, a San Diego native making her ONE debut against one of the most dangerous young grapplers on the roster.
Clymer has accumulated titles across the colored belts and brings an aggressive, forward-pressing style that has made her a standout on the American grappling circuit.
Ruotolo Looks for Fourth Straight MMA Finish on May 18
Ruotolo's MMA run has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since making his debut in June 2024 with a first-round submission of Blake Cooper, the BJJ black belt submitted Ahmed Mujtaba and Nicolas Vigna in identical fashion to build a 3-0 MMA record entirely via first-round stoppages.
He arrives at The Inner Circle this Friday looking to make it four straight and inch closer to a shot at reigning ONE Lightweight and Welterweight MMA World Champion Christian "The Warrior" Lee.
Meanwhile, Tetsuka is the most experienced MMA opponent Ruotolo has faced.
The 36-year-old is a former Pancrase Champion who holds seven ONE victories with six coming via finish, and he arrives on the back of a significant scalp – a second-round TKO of legendary former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki at ONE 173 last November. Ruotolo himself submitted Aoki on his submission grappling debut in 2022, giving the matchup an interesting shared thread.
