Tommy Langaker and Danielle Kelly both picked up victories in their submission grappling matches at ONE Fight Night 7.
ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II took place on Friday, February 24, and featured a pair of elite BJJ black belt competitors in action.
First, on the preliminary portion of the card, IBJJF European champion and recent ADCC competitor Tommy Langaker made quick work of multiple-time Sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev.
And on the main card, Danielle Kelly earned her second straight victory in ONE Championship, picking up a close and competitive decision win over MMA standout Ayaka Miura.
Langaker was hardly threatened at all in his showdown with the Sambo stylist. After pulling guard early, Langaker and Kurzhev traded position a few times on the mat before Langaker eventually worked his way into a deep leg entanglement. The Russian attempted to roll out, but Langaker was well attached and had a secure grip on the heel, earning the tap at just under three minutes.
With the win, Langaker is now 2-0 in ONE Championship, having previously defeated Renato Canuto in one of the organization’s most entertaining submission grappling matches to date.
Kelly faced a much stiffer test in Miura. A judo black belt, accomplished MMA fighter, and specialist in the scarf-hold American, the Japanese athlete gave Kelly problems throughout the 10-minute match, even finding her trademark scarf-hold position on several occasions.
Kelly would defend well, though, each time escaping the position to take Miura’s back. In the final minute, Kelly again secured the back and nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke as time expired. That final submission attempt likely sealed the decision victory for Kelly, who is now 2-0-1 in ONE Championship.
Tommy Langaker calls out Kade Ruotolo, Danielle Kelly calls out Jessa Khan
After their respective matches, both Tommy Langaker and Danielle Kelly called for specific opponents in their next outing.
Langaker is targeting a showdown with current ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo. Still just 20 years old, Ruotolo is undefeated as a black belt, having won gold at the 2022 ADCC World Championships with a 100 percent submission rate. He captured the inaugural ONE world title in October of last year when he (like Langaker) submitted Kurzhev by way of heel hook.
In December, Ruotolo successfully defended his belt when he defeated Matheus Gabriel by decision in a high-paced, action-packed match.
For her part, Kelly called for a match against ONE signee Jessa Khan. The Art of Jiu-Jitsu representative is a 2022 IBJJF Pans champion and, notably, holds a 2021 decision victory over Kelly in a submission-only match. Last year, Khan was briefly linked to a ONE Championship match against Amanda “Tubby” Alequin, but that contest fell through and Khan has yet to make her promotional debut.
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