“I know exactly what adjustments to make” – Kade Ruotolo says Tommy Langaker rematch will allow him to address shortcomings

Despite getting his hand raised once again at ONE 165, Kade Ruotolo wasn’t entirely happy with his performance this past weekend.

The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion came out on top for a second consecutive time against Norway’s Tommy Langaker.

Just like the last time they met at ONE Fight Night 11, the resilience and defense of Langaker was enough to keep him in the matchup at all times.

Ruotolo was able to get some points on the board with his submission attacks, which gave him the decision win once the 10-minute time limit came to an end.

Immediately after the contest, in his post-fight interview, the champ revealed one area that he believes he messed up in which stopped him from getting the finish.

He put all of his strength and effort into finishing an attack early on that wasn’t properly sunk in, which he believes drained him of some of his power and made it harder to get the tap as the matchup continued.

Ruotolo also said that this is a mistake he will not make again after working on this aspect of his game as a result:

“You know, right after the match, it’s really hard to say everything. So I’m going to have to rewatch it. I really gave it almost everything I have out there. And coming into the future, I know exactly what adjustments to make to 100 percent get that finish.”

---

ONE 165 showed why Kade Ruotolo is right up there

Kade Ruotolo beating himself up over not getting the finish plays both into his opponent’s strengths and his own constant search for perfection.

What the rematch with Langaker did once again emphasise is the relentless output that both Kade and his brother Tye implement which makes them so effective in ONE’s submission grappling ruleset.

Langaker is a very tough opponent to put away but that was only shown because he was kept on the defensive for the entire matchup due to the champion’s constant pace and submission threats.

Getting the finish would have capped off the performance but there can be no arguments as to it being another dominant display.

Fans who missed any of the action from ONE 165 can watch the event back via the on-demand PPV available at ONE Championship’s website.