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Kade Ruotolo’s first ONE appearance of 2023 is finally upon us in the first of two world title fights at ONE Fight Night 11: Eersel vs. Menshikov on Prime Video this Friday.
However, gutsy challenger Tommy Langaker won’t make things easy for him in a bid to steal his thunder and become the new lightweight submission grappling world champion.
The tension between these two ground savants started boiling over in the ADCC World Championship afterparty last year, following a fiery scuffle. After some epic back-and-forth banter in the lead-up to this fight, we’ll finally get to determine who the superior grappler truly is.
As always, Sportskeeda’s ONE Championship squad broke down this epic all-grappling war at Lumpinee Stadium and shared their two cents on how the high-stakes matchup will go.
Mike Murillo: Kade Ruotolo via submission
This is another match at ONE Fight Night 11 that is hard to predict as both combatants are just A-1 in what they do. I do not see this going the distance with the fighters’ attacking styles of play.
Most definitely they will go for the finish at an instant when the opportunity presents itself. But I do believe that reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo is going to take this by submission in the first half of the 10-minute contest.
Ruotolo is not reluctant to take risks and shoot for varying looks to give opponents a very hard time. He is not just content on passing guard but is relentless in exploring ways to go for the finish with much success.
And I see it coming into play against Langaker. On the other hand, Langaker is a veteran with a solid guard and is good at taking the back, something that Ruotolo must take note of. However, it remains to be seen if he has the motor to go miles with that possessed by the champion.
Vince Richards: Kade Ruotolo by submission
Kade Ruotolo vs. Tommy Langaker is the submission grappling match to make, and it’s certain that these two will stop at nothing secure that submission finish. Both fighters aren’t just aggressive submission hunters, they are also powerful wrestlers who will force their opponents to the ground rather than pulling guard.
Expect these two to wrestle at the very start of the match and get dominant position as quickly as possible.
Langaker relies more on his power while Ruotolo uses his athleticism to get the better of his opponents. I see Ruotolo using his quickness to try and outwit Langaker and force the Norwegian grappler to shoot into dangerous situations throughout the contest.
It will take a bit of time, but I expect Ruotolo to take Langaker’s back and work from that position to get the finish.
Ted Razon: Kade Ruotolo by decision
As we’ve seen in the past, jiu-jitsu practitioners tend to cancel each other out inside the circle. However, I don’t think that will be the case given Kade Ruotolo and Tommy Langaker’s clash of intricate yet totally different styles.
Ruotolo, of course, is the champion for a reason, and I expect him to come out of the gates flying as he did in his last bout with Matheus Gabriel. Langaker, though, is highly confident on his back, as he should be, and would latch on the opportunity to set up his K-guard once Ruotolo goes for the takedown.
That’s where it gets interesting. The Ruotolos are notorious for pushing the pace and I do believe Kade can evade the Norwegian’s tricks using some good old pressure passing.
There’s literally a video online of Atos head honcho Andre Galvao demonstrating how to pass the feared K-guard, a knowledge I’m pretty sure he already passed along to Ruotolo.
I predict these two exchanging wild scrambles and several leg lock attempts throughout their 10-minute scrap. However, the champ’s constant transitions and submission attempts from every position should give him an advantage upon the final bell.
Both fighters are too slick and will find a way to defend against the other’s attacks, but I see Ruotolo doing more to get his hand raised for the fourth time in ONE.
