Kade Ruotolo gives props to Tommy Langaker after tough match

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo figured in arguably his toughest test yet in ONE Championship last week.

The 20-year-old BJJ phenom battled former IBJJF European Open champion Tommy Langaker of Norway in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video. The event took place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand last Friday, June 9.

Ruotolo was down early on the scorecards, after Langaker scored points on a catch via a heel hook attempt. From that point, Ruotolo scrambled harder to try to even the score, and eventually notched a catch with a foot lock of his own.

ONE Championship submission grappling matches consist of one 10-minute round, and points are scored for each legitimate submission attempt.

As time expired, however, Ruotolo and Langaker were tied at one submission attempt each. But the decision went to the American defending world champion due to him being the more aggressive fighter.

In the ONE Fight Night 11 post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, Ruotolo told the veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst about his experience grappling with Langaker.

Ruotolo said:

“[Tommy Langaker] is very dynamic, he’s very flexible, kind of what I was exactly expecting, you know? He’s absolutely great at what he does and it was a war. It was difficult, that’s for sure.”

Ruotolo is confident as champion, but he’s also gracious enough to give credit where credit is due. Langaker surely gave him his toughest test in ONE to date.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch Ruotolo’s impressive victory over Langaker and all the action at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov via replay with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.