“He’s an absolute legend” – Kade Ruotolo lauds Shinya Aoki’s ‘big risk’ against short-notice opponent John Lineker

Kade Ruotolo was nothing short of impressed by Shinya Aoki’s quick finish of short-notice replacement opponent John Lineker at ONE 165.

Originally scheduled for a showdown with ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt in his home country, Aoki was thrown a massive curveball when his opponent withdrew just before they were set to make their walks to the ring at Ariake Arena. Determined to put on a show for the fans in Tokyo, ‘Tobikan Judan’ accepted a fight with former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker who was literally pulled from the stands and given a spot on the card.

In the end, everything worked out as fight fans got to see Shinya Aoki snap a four-fight losing streak (in MMA and submission grappling) with a stunning first-round neck crank submission over ‘Hands of Stone.’

Kade Ruotolo, who competed in the evening’s co-main event, had nothing but positive things to say about Shinya Aoki’s willingness to take on another opponent, let alone walk away with the victory.

“You know, I have so much respect for Shinya,” Ruotolo said in a ONE 165 post-fight interview. “He’s pretty much my hero. He’s such an absolute legend, and he took on such a big risk taking on John Lineker too, switching up an opponent last minute. It’s a lot of pressure on both sides, right? So, you know, Shinya’s an absolute legend.”

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Kade Ruotolo scores another dominant win over Tommy Langaker at ONE 165

After Aoki’s return to the win column, ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo made another successful defense of his title in a rematch with Norwegian BJJ specialist Tommy Langaker.

Ruotolo earned a unanimous decision victory at ONE 165, repeating the result of their first meeting in June 2023. The Atos Jiu-Jitsu product moved to 5-0 under the ONE banner and further established himself as one of the greatest submission grapplers in the world today.

With another big win on his resume, who would you like to see Kade Ruotolo defend his title against next?

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE 165 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.