“I’m glad I get the chance of redemption” – Tommy Langaker hopes to even the score with Kade Ruotolo at ONE 165

Tommy Langaker will once again challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title, but the European phenom hopes things work in his favor this time around.

The Wulfing Academy affiliate went toe-to-toe with the divisional king in his last outing at ONE Fight Night 11 inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in June last year.

Although he fared well against the Atos representative’s positional hunts in the 10-minute single-round encounter, starting each path of attack from his trademark vaunted guard, Ruotolo’s aggression and a couple of catches saw him cruise to a unanimous decision.

While he thought his output should have earned him gold in Bangkok, the 29-year-old isn’t one to rue missed chances.

With his fight against Ruotolo at ONE 165 inside the Ariake Arena this Sunday, January 28, fast approaching, Tommy Langaker has studied his opponent like a textbook to ensure his chances of victory in Tokyo, Japan.

He told ONE Championship:

“I felt how he felt, and I know his style. I know what to be aware of, and I’m just glad I get the chance of redemption and show what I can do.”

Overcoming a challenge like Ruotolo – one of the best modern-day grapplers – would not be an easy task. But the hard-as-nails Norwegian seems up for the challenge despite whatever that may come his way on fight night.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Tommy Langaker is in fine form heading into Ruotolo rematch

Since the pair’s epic showdown last year, Ruotolo has been setting up his jiu-jitsu base in Costa Rica.

On his end, Tommy Langaker has gone on a streak of impressive victories that helped him attain gold medals at the IBJJF No-Gi worlds and Europe.

The 29-year-old amassed an outstanding 14-1 run throughout that period. As such, Tommy Langaker should be armed with confidence heading into this rematch against Ruotolo at ONE 165.

If the Wulfing Academy can showcase a similar level of fire just as he did in Q2 of 2023, he could well be in possession of the most coveted prize in jiu-jitsu today.