He heard the pop. He knew straight away. A freak knee injury in a training room scramble ended Kade Ruotolo’s 2025 before it started and kept him out for over a year. On May 15, he comes back against arguably the toughest test of his MMA career.

Ruotolo faces Japanese veteran Hiroyuki “Japanese Beast” Tetsuka in a lightweight MMA bout at The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, May 15.

The 23-year-old Californian went 3-0 in MMA with three first-round finishes before the ACL tear derailed him in training days after his submission of Nicolas Vigna at ONE 171 in February 2025. He had to relearn how to walk during recovery. Now he is back. The man across from him carries a 21-fight career with zero submissions on his record. He also scored a second-round stoppage of Shinya Aoki on his most recent resume.

The injury had a mental cost alongside the physical one. Watching his twin brother Tye compete and win during the layoff helped Ruotolo stay connected to what he was working toward. He used the time to sharpen areas beyond grappling. Now he enters this fight believing his striking has taken a significant step forward.

“I ended up just doing like a really weird tweak in my knee off of a takedown scramble, and I just heard a huge pop in my knee, boom, and I knew it was serious. And then it ended up being the ACL full tear,” he said.

“I do believe that my tools have been coming along, just growing in a big way and the same for my brother, so I think our striking is getting a lot better. I wouldn’t be surprised at all in the midst of me trying to take him down and get him to the ground, I land a big shot, big head kick or whatever like that.”

Hiroyuki Tetsuka refuses to submit to Kade Ruotolo

Hiroyuki Tetsuka has waited a long time for a matchup at this level. The 36-year-old moved down from welterweight, stopped Shinya Aoki in the second round at ONE 173 last November, and earned his shot at one of the division’s most recognised names. He walked into the booking with excitement, not nerves.

Tetsuka is fully aware of what Ruotolo’s grappling can do on the ground. He is also fully aware of his own record. In 21 professional fights, he never tapped. He does not expect that to change on Thursday night.

“Honestly, I was just happy. He’s a globally recognized name, and his grappling is genuinely world number one level. Being able to fight someone with that kind of name and reputation, I’m really proud of that,” he said.

“I’ve had 21 professional fights and I’ve never been submitted once. There have been high-level grapplers in there too, and I’m confident I can defend it, and I’m confident I can beat him. That said, I fully expect the finishing power he has to be something I’ve never felt before.”