Kade Ruotolo itching to get back in the circle after world title defense

Kade Ruotolo is already excited for his next ONE lightweight submission grappling world title defense.

At ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video, Ruotolo competed in his toughest submission grappling match since joining ONE Championship. After the ten minutes was up, the 20-year-old phenom had his hand raised in a close unanimous decision against Tommy Langaker, extending his promotional record to 4-0.

It didn’t take long for the ADCC world champion to look forward to what’s next. Shortly after defeating Langaker, Ruotolo posted his reaction to the match on Instagram with the caption saying:

“Unreal experience here at Lumpinee Stadium. It was a Challenging match, got the job done and defended the title! Can’t wait to be back asap🙏🏽”

Kade Ruotolo’s win against Tommy Langaker came down to the wire. Ruotolo was behind early after Langaker scored a catch, which is a close submission attempt. With only a few minutes left, the lightweight submission grappling world champion scored his own catch, ultimately securing the match on aggression and other secondary scoring criteria.

Ruotolo’s second world title defense wasn’t easy, but he validated his superstar abilities once again. Now that he’s defended his throne twice, it’s unclear what’s next for the young phenom. A rematch against Langaker isn’t out of the question, but ONE could be looking to go in a different direction.

For those that missed Kade Ruotolo’s latest world title defense, the replay of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video can be seen for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.