ONE Fight Night 11: ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo Set For Title Defence

While ONE Fight Night 11's headliner is a marquee attraction for Muay Thai fans, the glistening co-main event at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will certainly have the BJJ community locked in.

Following his twin brother Tye's win over Reinier de Ridder earlier this month at ONE Fight Night 10, Kade Ruotolo will defend his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title against Tommy Langaker in a battle between two of the world's pound-for-pound best grapplers on Saturday, 11 June.

Ruotolo has been unstoppable since arriving in ONE Championship's lightweight submission grappling realm, but it won't just be his crown on the line this June when the duo lock horns.

Having dominantly beaten the likes of Shinya Aoki, Uali Khurzev, and - most recently - Matheus Gabriel, the 20-year-old American has set up a formidable run of momentum that has seen him capture the grandest prize in ONE's lightweight submission grappling division.

Ruotolo has made his performances inside the Circle look relatively easy so far, but his sternest test awaits him at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium next month in the form of Norway's Langaker.

Much like his American counterpart, Langaker has amassed an impressive resume of his own, and his grappling prowess has rightly earned him a reputation as one of Europe's elite practitioners.

The 29-year-old is 2-0 in ONE following strong showings against Renato Canuto and Khurzev, more recently. But while the two grapplers are disciplined combatants on the mats, the tension between each other has begun to surface.

The pair crossed paths at the 2022 ADCC World Championships where Ruotolo took home more gold, and the two exchanged words that resulted in the American raising the stakes by telling his latest adversary that he will submit him when they meet.

The stoic grapplers aren't often known for their trash talk and have a reputation as respectable athletes, but the tension surrounding this combustible matchup between two of the world's best grapplers only fuels this firefight as both competitors look to leave the Circle with bragging rights intact.

Source: Media Release