“It’s Changing the Scene” – Tommy Langaker Lauds ONE Championship’s Efforts in Elevating the Stature of the Sport Submission Grappling

Tommy Langaker tore up the competition in Europe before moving to ONE Championship last year, and he’s taken his game to another level at the Singapore-based promotion. The Norwegian BJJ black belt is aiming to reach a new height in his career when he challenges Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video on Friday, June 9, and there’s every chance he could do just that.

Since making his debut in the Singapore-based promotion last August, Langaker has lived up to his reputation as the best grappler from the European scene. He has claimed back-to-back wins against two-time BJJ World Champion Renato Canuto and four-time Sambo World Champion Uali Kurzhev, which earned him a combined total of US$100,000 in performance bonuses.

Tommy Langaker lauded ONE Championship’s role in developing submission grappling

While the Wulfing Academy product has competed in various tournaments all over the world, he believes the massive reach of ONE Championship is helping to elevate the sport of submission grappling to a previously unseen level.

 

“ONE is changing it by putting us on a very professional platform with other various martial arts. They’re showing that they trust us and put trust in their athletes,” Langaker said in a recent interview with the organization. They’re paying us well and giving us bonuses if we’re doing entertaining fights. Giving us good exposure. It’s changing the scene of what a professional jiu-jitsu athlete is.”

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World-class talents like Mikey Musumeci, Kade’s twin brother Tye, and Danielle Kelly can be counted among the new generation of elite canvas-based athletes competing in ONE along with Langaker and Ruotolo. And MMA stars with grappling roots also showcase their talents inside the Circle, including Garry Tonon, Shinya Aoki, and Reinier de Ridder.

Topmmy Langaker and Tye Ruotolo’s undefeated records will make the bout super exciting

Langaker’s praise for The Home of Martial Arts’ efforts to promote his sport is echoed by his peers on the roster, and that show of support will no doubt attract other grappling stars in the future.

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Langaker and Ruotolo have both benefited from ONE’s unique submission grappling ruleset in their undefeated runs so far, and it will be fascinating to see how they attack each other in their upcoming tussle for the divisional crown. Fans in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 11 live and for free on Prime Video with an active Amazon subscription.