Kade Ruotolo ONE 171: FREE FULL FIGHT: Lightweight submission grappling champ Kade Ruotolo retains his gold in world title thriller vs Tommy Langaker

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo already owns an insane submission grappling resume at just 22 years old. In June 2023, he solidified his reign over the 170-pound division when he battled Norwegian star Tommy Langaker.

In the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11, fans were treated to a world-class back-and-forth between the two renowned grapplers. Ruotolo leaned on his explosive athleticism, while the challenger sought to outmuscle him. Surprisingly, Langaker scored the first catch of the bout owing to a heel hook.

However, Ruotolo leveled the catch count with a heel hook of his own with around three minutes remaining. The champion's relentless aggression throughout the bout led to him retaining the gold via unanimous decision.

Relive the entire fight below, which ONE posted on YouTube:

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The Atos product would meet Langaker again in January the following year, where he produced a bell-to-bell masterclass to thwart the Wulfing Academy affiliate's dreams of gold again.

Ruotolo's unstoppable grappling game has translated well in his recent venture into the MMA realm, where he holds a pristine 3-0 record. All three of his victories have come by way of first-round submission.

Kade Ruotolo pumped for twin brother's upcoming bout

Kade Ruotolo is raring to watch his twin brother, Tye, defend the ONE welterweight submission grappling world championship against Canadian phenom Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31 on Friday, May 2.

In a recent interview with the Bangkok Post, the two-sport superstar said:

"Absolutely, I think his matchups are great, you know. Dante and Tye, right now, at that size, I couldn't think of a better matchup I'd rather see. Yeah, it's super exciting."

ONE Fight Night 31 will emanate from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The entire event will be available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi