Mikey Musumeci is one of those rare competitors who never shies away from challenges in his career. The 28-year-old was last seen at ONE 167, where he walked past the challenge of Gabriel Sousa. Musumeci forced his Brazilian foe to tap at the 3:05 mark of their 10-minute submission-only bout and is now ready for his next challenge. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ is set to take on Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title. 

Musumeci will be moving up three weight classes to challenge his fellow American superstar that has the BJJ world buzzing. The 28-year-old is excited about the clash, and he is eager to make history by becoming the first two-division submission grappling World Champion in ONE. In a video posted by the Treigning Lab YouTube page, he was quoted saying, “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.” Let us take a closer look at the upcoming monumental clash. 

Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo are all set to clash at ONE 168 

Reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci is now eyeing a shot at two-division glory. Standing in his way is 21-year-old Kade Ruotolo. After dominating the grappling circuit, Ruotolo has now taken a special interest in MMA. He made his MMA debut at ONE 167 in a lightweight bout against Blake Cooper. Ruotolo won the fight via submission in the first round, thus making a brilliant start to his MMA career. However, he will be returning to his roots for his upcoming clash against Musumeci. 

‘Darth Rigatoni’ is currently unbeaten throughout his seven-fight tenure in ONE and rates his opponent high. The respect between both fighters is mutual and Ruotolo recently shared his opinion on the 28-year-old. He sat down for a chat with Demetrious Johnson and pointed out why he decided to take on Musumeci. The 21-year-old said, “Again, it’s just another one to put on the record.”

However, he was quick to point out that he wants to test himself against the best in the business and said, “Mikey, a lot of people consider him pound-for-pound one of the greatest. He’s had a lot of amazing wins over a lot of amazing people.” Both fighters have shown their appreciation towards each other and are excited about the clash. If we compare their skill level, there is hardly anything to choose between the pair.

Also, both of them are natural athletes in a sport that has often been associated with performance-enhancing drugs. With such high stakes, fellow fighters have started making their predictions, but it seems Musumeci isn’t quite worried about the result. 

Mikey Musumeci looks to test himself against one of the best grapplers in the world 

The highly anticipated grappling clash at Denver has caught the attention of many out there. Jarred Brooks is extremely excited about the clash and shared his opinion on both fighters. Before his fight at ONE Fight Night 24, ‘The Monkey God’ was asked to pick the favorite between the two. The 31-year-old was quick to respond and said, “That’s a really tough one to call.”

He then pointed out how both fighters are at the top of the game and have the ability to negate each other’s threats. Brooks further added, “So, Ruotolo definitely has the remedy to beat Mikey, but, at the same time, Mikey already knows that and he’d already be working on the next step.” 

Musumeci and Ruotolo have a lot of mutual respect, which was pretty evident in their interviews. Unlike most fights, this bout is yet to have any kind of trash talk. With Ruotolo not being shy about his praise for Musumeci, “Darth Rigatoni” reciprocates by saying he feels he will now have the opportunity to test himself against one of the best in the world.

During an interview with The MMA Hour, he said, “This isn’t about money for me. This isn’t about just winning. I can win in my division, obviously, you guys can see I can win in my division. That’s why I want to roll with the best guys. Kade and me are both the two best natural athletes in jiu-jitsu – and Tye, of course.” 

Who do you think will win between the two at ONE 168: Denver? Let us know about it in the comments below.