Tommy Langaker may have come up short in his first meeting with Kade Ruotolo, but his spirits weren’t dampened, and he’s ready for the highly anticipated rematch this weekend.

The Norwegian grappler is set to challenge Ruotolo once again for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Championship in the co-main event of ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru this Sunday, January 28, inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Tommy Langaker recalls his first fight against Kade Ruotolo

In an interview with ONE, Langaker recalled his first encounter with the Atos representative and said he thought he did enough to get the win. But he understands that it was ultimately out of his hands.

“I do think it should have gone my way. But when I played guard, and he was playing top, it may have looked that he was putting on a pretty high pace when he was passing, and it depends on how the judges score it and what they favor. I was countering everything he was doing,” he explained.

“So I felt I was the one trying to be offensive in regards to submission attempts.”

The pair went the distance in a grappling masterclass at ONE Fight Night 11 last June. And though Langaker threw everything he had at Ruotolo, he couldn’t take his coveted strap.

While he believes he had a legitimate case to be declared the winner, the Wulfing Academy representative accepted the judges’ decision and chose to move forward.

The Norwegian’s outlook on the rematch

Ahead of his rematch this weekend, he knows that if he wants to take control of his destiny, he shouldn’t let his fate be decided on the scorecards. “I’m not complaining about it. I never will complain about it. My job is to get the submission,” Langaker said.

“It really does suck, and it’s a sour moment. But, you know, I’ve had many losses in my career, so I try not to dwell too much on it. 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.”

Tommy Langaker has won two of his three grappling matches in the ONE championship. The only loss he suffered was against the 21-year-old Kade Ruotolo, who is still yet to lose in the promotion. Will Langaker be the first person to hand the young grappling prospect his first loss in ONE championship? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Catch all the action from ONE 165 live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com this Sunday, January 28.