ONE lightweight submission grappling star Tommy Langaker is confident he will be able to challenge reigning king Kade Ruotolo for the division's top prize again, but he also knows he must rebuild his stock first.
Ahead of his fifth matchup under the ONE banner at ONE Fight Night 27 on Friday, Jan. 10, Langaker outlined how he might possibly fight for the gold again in an interview with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post:
"Nobody's interested in that match right now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind it either... When I'm good, I'm good. I'll go for it."
Watch the entire interview below:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Many ONE fans agree that Langaker's first attempt to dethrone Ruotolo in June 2023 remains one of the most intriguing submission grappling bouts the promotion has held. When the dust settled, though, Ruotolo emerged with the unanimous decision win.
Because of how closely contested their first go-around was, the Wulfing Academy earned an immediate rematch last January at ONE 165.
This time around, however, the Atos product thoroughly dominated Langaker from bell to bell to retain the crown via unanimous decision.
Tommy Langaker set for action at ONE Fight Night 27
Tommy Langaker is only hours away from sharing the circle with a familiar foe at ONE Fight Night 27: Canadian standout Dante Leon.
The pair first faced each other for a spot in the 82kg division quarterfinals of the 2018 IBJJF Pan-American Championships, where Langaker ultimately advanced on points.
With Leon having momentum on his side following a superb promotional debut in December, the Pedigo Submission Fighting athlete will look to exact his highly sought-after revenge inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE Fight Night 27 will air live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.