Kade Ruotolo points to Tommy Langaker’s guard game as a ‘difficult’ task to overcome

Reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo understands his next opponent is far from a walk in the park. While he’s had a relatively easy breeze through his first three opponents in ONE Championship, his upcoming adversary is as formidable a grappler as they come.

Kade Ruotolo will put his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title on the line against dangerous Norwegian grappler and IBJJF European Open champion Tommy Langaker. They will co-main event ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 9th. It will stream absolutely free to fans in the United States and Canada with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo shot praise for Langaker ahead of their highly anticipated world title showdown:

“So it's going to be difficult to get through his guard. You know, he looks great. I don't think I've ever seen him get submitted to a guy before, you know.”

Langaker is surely no joke of an opponent, and it seems Ruotolo is concerned most about the Norwegian star’s excellent guard game. He is an IBJJF European Open champion and one of the hottest talents in submission grappling today. He made his ONE Championship debut in August of 2022 at ONE 160, winning a unanimous decision against Renato Canuto.

The Norwegian returned in February of this year at ONE Fight Night 7 to score a quick heel hook submission of Uali Kurzhev and bag a cool $50,000 performance bonus for his efforts.

When Kade Ruotolo and Langaker meet, fans should expect an exciting technical battle between two of the most talented grapplers today. It will all come to a head at ONE Fight Night 11.