Kade Ruotolo desperately wanted to submit Tommy Langaker at ONE 165

Kade Ruotolo vs. Tommy Langaker at ONE 165 ended with Kade Ruotolo securing a decision victory over Langaker. Both grapplers fought till the last seconds of the exciting match, and the 21-year-old grappler again defended his ONE title against Tommy Langaker prior to fighting Langaker at ONE 165. They had a grappling match earlier in 2023 where Kade won by unanimous decision, and when their rematch was booked, Kade vowed to make Langaker submit this time, but that remained a dream for the ONE lightweight submission grappling champion as their rematch again ended with the judges’ decision.

The Norwegian BJJ phenomenon contested well in the fight, but he didn’t get the victory this time as well. Kade Ruotolo almost made Tommy submit during the match by locking him in a D’Arce choke, but the Norwegian escaped it. Though Kade managed to win the match unanimously, during the post-fight interview, he revealed that it was him who got a little carried away when he locked him up in the choke and dissipated a lot of energy in that ultimately not getting the finish in the match.

As I mentioned, I really wanted that submission,” Ruotolo told Mitch Chilson during his post-fight interview. “I think I was a little overzealous on that first D’Arce, it wasn’t quite in and I gave it all I got, so I kinda used a lot of my power there.”
Kade Ruotolo post fight

Kade Ruotolo, after the fight at ONE 165, gave a hint of his transition to MMA soon.

“I’m hoping for early or mid this year. I’d really be stoked to get it done by March or May. It’s kinda been like my timeframe. I know it’s coming up really quick, but, you know, my dream is to become the double-champ for ONE Championship – jiu-jitsu and MMA.”
He added