Tommy Langaker says he’ll be the one to beat Kade Ruotolo: “My style is a good counter to him”

Norwegian jiu-jitsu star Tommy Langaker believes he is the perfect foil to reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo and is adamant to have his world title shot.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, the 29-year-old Wulfing Academy fighter said he sees no other athlete at the moment in ONE Championship who could give Ruotolo stiff competition for the belt:

“There’s nobody in front of me, especially in the ONE circuit. There’s nobody that made any statements other than me and I think I’m the one next in line no matter who it is that comes into ONE right now. I deserve my title shot and I know I’m the one to beat Kade and my style is a good counter to him.”

Watch the interview below:

Tommy Langaker further underscored his case for a world title shot at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24 when he submitted sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev of Russia just a little over two minutes into the proceedings. It was his second victory in ONE, in a follow-up to his unanimous decision victory over Brazilian Renato Canuto back in August 2022.

Prior to joining ONE, Tommy Langaker made his name on the competitive grappling scene in Europe, marked by his high submission rate against the world’s top grapplers.

Ruotolo, meanwhile, won the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title in October last year, beating Kurzhev by submission. Two months later, he made a successful first world title defense with a unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Matheus Gabriel.

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“Nothing too personal” – Kade Ruotolo on why he called out Tommy Langaker

A world title showdown between reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo and top jiu-jitsu star Tommy Langaker could well happen in the near future with both of them open to mixing it up.

The possibility of the two decorated fighters battling further grew after Langaker solidified his standing as a contender for Ruotolo’s belt with another impressive victory in his most recent fight at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24.

Langaker submitted sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev of Russia just a little over two minutes into their featured fight for his second straight victory in ONE Championship. Immediately after, he made it known that he wanted to challenge for the world title.

In an interview last year following the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, Ruotolo said he got to talk to Tommy Langaker, which led to him calling out the veteran fighter for a showdown.

Ruotolo said:

“It was nothing too crazy. Nothing too personal. Afterward there were talks about this match... me and Tommy... And the after party, he was like, 'Yeah, when are we going to go?'... It was cool, but at the same time, he came at me with interesting energy I'd say, and he kind of fired me up to have a match with him.”

Both Ruotolo and Langaker have been unstoppable in ONE to date and have unblemished records since making their promotional debuts last year.