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Kade Ruotolo was able to retain his ONE lightweight submission grappling crown when he faced Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 11 last year. It was indeed an intense grappling-only 10-minute war, as both combatants showcased the highest level of ‘The Gentle Art’ in front of a global audience.
Once the smoke cleared, Ruotolo narrowly came out with a unanimous decision win, marking the toughest test he’s had inside the Circle so far.
The 21-year-old prodigy expects nothing less from Langaker when they run it back this coming Sunday in the co-main event of ONE 165 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
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Only this time around, Ruotolo doesn’t want an anticlimactic decision verdict and wants to defend his throne the best way he knows how – by forcing his opponent to yield in submission.
In an interview with the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Atos standout expressed his disappointment for not being able to put away Langaker in their first encounter.
Ruotolo admitted that his desire to finish the Norweigian grappler fueled him to accept an immediate rematch.
“I got the win. However, it wasn’t the way I wanted to win. You know, I would definitely want to get the finish. And that’s pretty much the reason why I’m accepting the rematch this time around because I want to submit him.”
ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will air live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.
Kade Ruotolo’s key to victory in the first match vs. Tommy Langaker
Kade Ruotolo was as aggressive as always against Langaker once the bell rang and put him on his back with a beautiful back trip from the clinch position.
However, the youngest ADCC world champion had trouble breaking the Norwegian’s signature K-Guard and was even caught in what appeared to be a tight heel hook.
In true Ruotolo fashion, the champ wiggled his way out and applied punishing top pressure, exhibiting brilliant guard passing.
He scored the lone catch of the bout with an Estima Lock, but the challenger weathered the pain and was able to reach the final horn.
Rewatch the first meeting between Kade Ruotolo and Tommy Langaker here:
