Tommy Langaker reveals his advantages over Kade Ruotolo: “I thrive in those scrambles” 

Despite being perceived as the underdog against Kade Ruotolo, rising star Tommy Langaker believes he still has an ace up his sleeve.

The Norwegian ground maestro will challenge the 20-year-old phenom for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs Menshikov on Prime Video on June 9, inside the hallowed grounds of Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Ruotolo has been untouchable in his first three Circle appearances, running roughshod over the likes of Shinya Aoki, Uali Kurzhev, and most recently, Matheus Gabriel. The youngest ADCC world champion brings forth unmatched youthful energy paired with a virtuosic understanding of the grappling arts.

Langaker, however, remains unperturbed about Ruotolo’s credentials and believes his own world-class skills would power him to victory.

While Ruotolo is quite adept when it comes to scrambles and 50-50 positions, Langaker says he’ll surprise his opponent in this area once the Circle door closes.

The Wulfing Academy standout told ONE Championship:

“I think my advantages are that I thrive in those scrambles. I love when the scramble comes, and I think I have a different understanding of how the scramble and the leg pummel work, as I’ve been doing crab rides for so long.”

Known for possessing a highly intricate guard game, Langaker rose to fame in Europe’s BJJ circuit using his innovative use of crab rides.

The technique is a form of control during a grappling exchange, where the attacker uses his legs and foot as hooks to elevate an adversary’s back. It’s similar to hand pummeling, but basically using the lower half of the body instead.

Langaker mastered the crab ride to perfection, using it as leg lock entries and a nifty back-take tool, among other things.

Whether he can use this technique to upset Ruotolo and become the new lightweight submission grappling king remains to be seen.

ONE Fight Night 11 will air live on US Primetime and free for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.