Kade Ruotolo says he came close to finishing Tommy Langaker: “I felt him really fading”

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo hunts for the finish every chance he gets.

Unfortunately, the 20-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant was unable to submit Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video last Friday.

Still, he put on a dominant display of virtuosic grappling to take home the unanimous decision victory and keep the 26 pounds of solid gold in San Diego, California.

Speaking with the media in his post-event interview, Ruotolo insisted he would have gotten the tap had there been time left on the clock in their 10-minute showdown:

“I think in a couple of more minutes, I definitely would have had him. I felt him really fading at the end, getting really tired.”

Known for dictating the tempo of his high-octane matches, Ruotolo did not have a fast start against the gutsy Langaker.

After taking down the Norwegian with a beautiful fake-out trip, the champion got caught up in Langaker’s daunting K-Guard and was immediately forced on the defensive following a beautiful matrix back take.

He was behind on the scorecards early, after the challenger synced in what appeared to be a tight heel hook attempt.

Ruotolo escaped the submission but Langaker’s insanely flexible guard gave him trouble. The Atos standout was only able to lock in his own submission attempt midway into the bout, as he bent Langaker’s ankle sideways with a gnarly Estima lock.

However, the Wulfing Academy standout withstood the pain and was able to reach the final bell.

Ruotolo, of course, does have a never-ending gas tank, so we know he could have kept going with that insane pace had the match continued.

Do you think Kade Ruotolo would have gotten the finish had there been more time on the clock?

Rewatch the replay of his second world title defense against Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 11. The entire card is available free of charge for those with a Prime Video membership in North America.