Tommy Langaker has earned his first shot against ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo by putting on a grappling show and eventually submitting Uali Kurzhev in February 2023 at ONE Fight Night 7.
This grappling spectacle from Langaker was witnessed by fans inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and reposted by ONE Championship on the promotion's official Instagram account recently:
“DOMINANT performance! 🌟 Can Tommy Langaker dethrone Kade Ruotolo in their ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title rematch at ONE 165? @langakerbjj”
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The 29-year-old Norwegian went berserk with his submission attack against the Russian and instantly gunned for the finish right from the opening bell.
Langaker mostly attempted leg locks and hunted for Kurzhev’s legs. At one point during the match, he dragged his Russian opposition back to the center of the ring after almost falling off, much to the delight of fans inside the arena.
With his relentless offense on full display, the Wulfing Academy representative eventually got the job done at the 2:58 mark of the match and made Kurzhev tap with a leg lock.
This triumph was Langaker’s second in the world’s largest martial arts organization after unanimously beating Renato Canuto in his promotional debut in August 2022 at ONE 160.
Tommy Langaker gets second world title opportunity against Kade Ruotolo at ONE 165
Langaker fell short of becoming a world champion on his first attempt in June 2023 at ONE Fight Night 11, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Kade Ruotolo during their first meeting.
Seven months on, Langaker will look to make the most of a second chance. He'll challenge for Ruotolo's gold once again in the co-headliner of ONE 165 on January 28 inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The Norwegian BJJ savant aims to maximize this opportunity to avenge his lone loss in ONE Championship, dethrone Ruotolo, and become the newest ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.
In order to be successful this time, he needs to employ a fresh strategy.