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ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo made a successful sophomore defense of his world title at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov last weekend. The 20-year-old BJJ phenom pulled off a thrilling performance against a gutsy Tommy Langaker to earn a unanimous decision win.
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The Jiu-Jitsu prodigy had to dig deep and rally back to overcome an early deficit to earn the judges' favor once the final bell rang. Said early deficit was courtesy of a frightening-looking heel hook by Langaker early on. The reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion frantically rolled around to escape the hold.
In his post-fight media scrum, Kade Ruotolo spoke about Langaker's early leglock attempt:
"I didn't really feel too much pressure. I kept the same, when I'm in the match, I'm looking for one thing that's usually the submission. He was doing a good job, not really showing me too many under hooks and staying pretty safe there. Then I started looking more for counterattacks, things like that."
Watch the full interview here:
After escaping the heel hook, Kade Ruotolo went into his usual murder mode and unleashed a frantic pressure passing game upon his Norwegian foe. Langaker, true to his reputation, showcased his utterly impenetrable guard while dazzling viewers with some slick defensive techniques.
Over halfway through the match, the world champion was still down one submission catch on the scoreboard. Things were starting to look desperate.
With three minutes left in the contest, Ruotolo evened the score by attempting a modified Achilles Lock from top position, which Langaker narrowly escaped.
With the score dead even in the bout's dying seconds, Ruotolo went for a Hail-Mary straight armbar and another Achilles lock. Langaker's magnificent defense allowed him to survive the bout without getting tapped. With the two being 1-1 at the final bell, Kade Ruotolo's aggression and offensive activity won him the judges' decision.
North American fans keen to catch Ruotolo's victory at ONE Fight Night 11 can do so via replay on Amazon Prime Video.
