Tommy Langaker is heading into his upcoming match in ONE Championship with confidence in his ability to produce an exciting battle and come away with a win. The Norwegian BJJ black belt will challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11 on Friday, June 9, and he recently bore his thoughts on how the action will unfold between him and his rival. 

“I think it’s going to be tense in the beginning. I think it’s going to be a little bit of feeling out, but immediately as somebody reacts, it’s going to be a very high pace. And I think it’s going to be a very beautiful jiu-jitsu match,” Langaker told ONE.

Tommy Langaker was confident about a victory over Kade Ruotolo despite the tough challenge

Ruotolo has consistently produced fast-paced bouts since arriving on ONE’s global stage in 2022. He has won all three of his outings, including an impressive submission victory over Sambo World Champion Uali Kurzhev to claim the division’s inaugural World Title in October.

Meanwhile, Langaker has lived up to the hype of being arguably Europe’s best grappler in his time in the Singapore-based promotion. After claiming a US$50,000 performance bonus in his decisive debut win last August, he added a second one in his sophomore bout against Kurzhev earlier this year.

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While he doesn’t believe his upcoming match with Ruotolo will end as quickly as his last match, the 29-year-old is confident that his ability to find openings off scrambles will be crucial in his path to victory.

Tommy Langaker revealed his grip over various positions of the game was his strength

“I think my advantages are that I thrive in those scrambles. I love when the scramble comes, and I think I have a different understanding of how the scramble and the leg pummel work, as I’ve been doing crab rides for so long. I enjoy working hooks and utilizing these different positions, and I feel that’s going to be my biggest strength,” Langaker said.

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“I’ll fight in any position. I’ll take what I have. I’ll see how he reacts, and then I go from there. If he gives me his leg, I’ll take his leg. If he gives me his back, I’ll take the back.” The event will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an Amazon subscription.