Kade Ruotolo says he was confident heading into the judges’ scorecards vs Tommy Langaker

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo had to go through the wringer in his latest title defense but was confident he did enough to earn the victory.

The San Diego-based Atos Jiu-Jitsu affiliate was a unanimous decision winner over Norwegian challenger Tommy Langaker in their co-headlining title showdown at ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video on June 9 in Bangkok.

It was back-and-forth for the two attacking grapplers throughout their 10-minute showdown. Both were relentless in getting the leverage they needed to go for the finish and win.

Kade Ruotolo, however, would go on and earn the nod from all of the judges.

While he admitted to having been given a difficult time by Tommy Langaker, the reigning champion said that heading into the judges’ scorecards he was confident that he got the job done.

He said during the post-fight interview:

“I wasn't exactly nervous. I thought I definitely did enough. I was kind of putting a lot of forward pressure on the passing and I'm trying to pass a lot. I think my ankle lock was definitely a lot tighter than his heel hook attempt. He couldn't really bring the other leg to lock it, and I felt no strain in the ankle or knee.”

Watch the interview below:

Kade Ruotolo’s victory at ONE Fight Night 11 was his second successful title defense since becoming world champion in October last year. It was also his fourth straight win in ONE Championship in as many fights.

The 20-year-old American jiu-jitsu ace is looking to continue dominating the division while at the same time preparing for his push to compete in mixed martial arts as well, which he hopes to kick off later this year.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 11 is available for free on Amazon Prime in North America.