ONE 165: Kade Ruotolo-Tommy Langaker II locked in for stacked Japan return on January 28

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo’s third assignment as a divisional king is set for ONE 165, the promotion’s hotly anticipated return to Japan on January 28.

The 20-year-old fighting out of Atos will go up against Tommy Langaker in a rematch of their high-octane affair at ONE Fight Night 11 in June last year.

Sports Illustrated broke the news on their site earlier today, and fans are eagerly waiting to witness another 10 minutes of submission-hunting madness when the two lock horns inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.

In part one of their rivalry in 2023, Kade Ruotolo and the Norweigian grappling wizard fought at a furious pace, leaving fans on the edge of their seats right until the final second of their contest.

The divisional king was in serious trouble early on, as the Haugesund native countered his takedown and threatened with a heel hook, much to the appreciation of the sold-out audience inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

However, with Langaker holding a catch advantage, Kade Ruotolo spent the rest of the contest with his aggression meter at full. The young phenom took the match to his rival, going from one guard pass to another before securing an Estima Lock – to even things on the scorecard.

Eventually, the ground game technician fended off a couple more leg lock attempts and attacked with near back-takes in the final minutes to walk away with a deserving unanimous decision.

If their first contest is anything to go by, the watching world is in for another world-class submission grappling clinic when they meet at ONE 165 on January 28.

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Kade Ruotolo’s flawless run in ONE Championship

Kade Ruotolo arrived in the world’s largest martial arts organization to take the sport to a higher level.

Needless to say, the young superstar, who turns 21 just before his rematch against Langaker later this month, has exceeded expectations throughout his two-year tenure.

The Atos representative shocked the world in his debut by outclassing Shinya Aoki at ONE 157 in May 2022.

Only five months later, the American grappling expert claimed the inaugural lightweight submission grappling gold with his astounding submission win over four-time sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev.

Kade Ruotolo has doubled his tally to a perfect 4-0 since, gaining back-to-back victories over Brazilian standout Matheus Gabriel and Langaker.