American grappling prodigy Mikey Musumeci is all set to take on Kade Ruotolo in one of the most anticipated clashes of the year. It seems he has now found himself a new training partner in Demetrious Johnson. 37-year-old ‘Mighty Mouse’ is currently inactive in MMA after his win against Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 in May last year. However, he is using this time to stay active in the BJJ circuit. 

Johnson recently took to his Instagram account to share that he rolled with Mikey Musumeci. The 28-year-old currently holds the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title, and it seems he gave the MMA legend all that he could handle and then some. Johnson shared a caption that read, “Well this was an experience there are truly levels to this game!! Thank you @mikeymusumeci for exposing me to them ooooosssss!!” So what is the 13-time flyweight world champion training for? Let us find out. 

Demetrious Johnson is all set to feature at the next IBJJF Masters tournament next 

Reigning undisputed ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson is all set for a new challenge in his illustrious career. The 37-year-old has announced his participation in the 2024 IBJJF World Master, much to the delight of the fans. Starting on August 29 in Las Vegas, the event marks the first time that ‘Mighty Mouse’ will compete as a BJJ black belt. Johnson is super excited about the event and is focusing on adding more medals to his growing BJJ accolades. 

‘Mighty Mouse’ has been fairly active in the BJJ circuit and has already bagged two gold medals. He won the first one during the 2023 World Masters IBJFF Jiu-Jitsu Championship, followed by another one at the 2024 IBJFF Pan American Championships. Both of them are in the Master 2 featherweight brown belt division. The upcoming event also features one of Johnson’s biggest rivals, Adriano Moraes. Moraes is no stranger to “the gentle art” and holds a black belt as well, which he earned in March 2015. With both fighters competing in the same bracket, fans can hope to see them ignite their rivalry once again. 

Johnson seems to be honing his skills with one of the best in the world, Mikey Musumeci. The 28-year-old himself is ready to take on one of his biggest rivals, Kade Ruotolo, at ONE 168: Denver. He will be moving up three weight classes to challenge himself against one of the best in the sport. During a recent interview, he pointed out a key factor that would help him win the highly anticipated clash. 

Mikey Musumeci points out how he can win his clash against Kade Ruotolo 

ONE 168: Denver will witness two of the best grapplers take on each other in a highly anticipated clash. The ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title will be on the line as Mikey Musumeci eyes a shot at two-division glory. Before going into battle, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ pointed out that he wanted to test himself against one of the best in the sport. Although there is a lot of mutual respect between the pair, none of the fighters want to lose the battle. Ruotolo was last seen at ONE 167, where he made his MMA debut against Blake Cooper. He won his fight in the first round itself and will be returning to his roots at ONE 168. 

Musumeci isn’t quite bothered about the reputation of his fellow American and is focused on his goal ahead. While there is very little to choose between the pair, the 28-year-old knows exactly what needs to be done in the fight. In a recent video posted by Treigning Lab’s YouTube page, Musumeci shared what he will be focusing on when he takes on the 21-year-old phenomenon. He said, “My next opponent is way more technical from a technical standpoint. I just need to be physically healthy and strong. If we perfect this, we’ll win.” A win is what ‘Darth Rigatoni’ will hope for when he takes on Kade Ruotolo next. The event also features two natural athletes in a sport that has often been associated with performance-enhancing drugs. 

As fans eagerly wait to witness the clash, who do you think will win between the two? Let us know about it in the comments below.