The possibility of future matchups with lightweight grappling champion Kade Ruotolo has emerged as a tantalizing prospect following recent interviews with both Marcelo Garcia and Lachlan Giles ahead of their highly anticipated clash at ONE Championship in Bangkok.
When asked about potentially facing the young champion, Garcia acknowledged that ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong had already broached the subject with him.
“I think Chatri already mentioned that to me, and that one definitely is the match that I hear people talk about a lot,”
Garcia said. However, the Brazilian legend was careful not to disrespect his immediate opponent, stating,
“I always feel like it’s bad luck when I’m about to face somebody and talk about the next match after that.”
Despite his reluctance to look past Giles, Garcia didn’t completely dismiss the possibility.
“I believe it would be great, one day, to test against the champion, because I was the champion when I took all the time, and now there’s another champion. It would be interesting if that could happen one day,”
he explained.
For his part, Giles has already faced Ruotolo, losing to him at ADCC when the phenom was just 19 years old. When asked about a potential rematch for the ONE Championship belt, Giles was unequivocal in his response: he’s not interested.
“I don’t think so. Not with Kade. Probably not in general,”
he stated firmly.
The Australian grappler emphasized that his bout with Garcia would be a one-off appearance, describing himself as
“quite happily retired.”
Unlike Garcia, who expressed a desire to continue competing and have
“a long life competing,”
Giles made it clear this Bangkok showdown represents his swan song.
“I don’t really want to go back and compete against anyone, especially any of these 20-year-olds,”
he said, noting the age advantage younger competitors possess.
However, Giles spoke respectfully of the Ruotolo twins’ accomplishments.
“They’re obviously great athletes, and I think they’re good ambassadors for the sport as well,”
he said, recalling how he watched videos of them as children performing advanced techniques years before eventually facing Kade in competition.
While a Garcia–Ruotolo clash remains speculative, Garcia’s continued interest in competing and the buzz surrounding such a matchup suggest it could materialize if Saturday’s performance against Giles proves successful.
