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Kade Ruotolo overcame his most dangerous opponent yet this past weekend at ONE Fight Night 11, and he is inviting anyone to challenge him.

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The American grappling phenom outworked Norwegian challenger Tommy Langaker in a highly technical battle in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 11 on Prime Video on Friday, June 9, to retain the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title. 

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The pair of grappling greats needed all 10 minutes of their match to find a winner, though, and they attacked and countered each other to the end, resulting in an entertaining scrap from start to finish.

Kade Ruotolo is all fired up after defeating Tommy Langaker

Ruotolo was deemed more dominant by the judges in the end, and he credited his opponent for his performance while criticizing his own in an interview after the match.

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“It was definitely a tough scrap for sure. Tommy was an amazing opponent. I knew he’d be a tough match leading into this. I think in a couple of more minutes, I definitely would have had him. I felt him really fading at the end, getting really tired,” he told ONE Championship.

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“I made a handful of mistakes and definitely, lots to fix leading into the next one. So yeah, more so just excited. Anytime I don’t get to submission, I can’t lie – I’m a little disappointed with myself. I’m extremely excited to come back and get that submission. I’m more motivated than ever.”

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Read more: 3 Reasons Why ONE Championship Fans Are Going Crazy Over the Kade Ruotolo vs Tommy Langaker Bout at ONE Fight Night 11

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The win improves the Atos representative’s record to 4-0 in ONE Championship and further cements his spot as the king of his division. 

Ready for anyone and everyone

With no clear challengers awaiting him, Ruotolo made it clear that he’d open the doors to anyone. 

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The 20-year-old knows that being World Champion carries some significant responsibility, and he wants to give competitors a chance to take on the best.

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“Whoever excites me. Whoever puts on a really good [performance]. Whoever really wants to me. As I said before, that’s always what motivates me. It’s whoever wants to fight me. Especially when there’s a bit of tension as someone comes at me with, ‘I want Kade Ruotolo,'” he said.

Read more: “You Need That in Order to Grow” – Kade Ruotolo Lauded His Twin Brother’s Involvement in His Major Achievements

“Then I’m like, ‘let’s get it.’ That’s the one that I want. So anyone that really wants to [fight me]. There’s not a specific person that I’m really looking for.”

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Mayur Soni

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Mayur Soni is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His journey as an MMA fan started with Conor McGregor’s historic 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo in 2015, which sparked his love for the sport. Since then, he has closely followed the sport and gained an in-depth understanding of its nuances, which reflects in his insightful and analytical writing. Mayur's article on Kamaru Usman's injury displays his dedication to providing comprehensive coverage of athletes from various perspectives. In addition to his love for combat sports, Mayur is also an avid marathon runner. His experience as a marathon runner has given him a deep appreciation for the connection between the mind and body, which he sees reflected in the sport of MMA. As a writer, Mayur's background in theatre also informs his approach to storytelling, allowing him to craft engaging and captivating articles that bring MMA to life for readers.

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Rohini Kottu

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