ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo is already sizing up his ONE 168: Denver opponent, flyweight submission grappling divisional king Mikey Musumeci.
Fresh from his stunning MMA debut victory over Blake Cooper at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II this past weekend, the 21-year-old phenom is turning his attention to Musumeci.
The dream all-American matchup for Ruotolo’s lightweight submission grappling crown is set to light up the Ball Arena on September 7 as ONE returns to the United States for the first time since ONE Fight Night 10.
While Ruotolo showed off his surprisingly crisp striking skills against Cooper, he’ll have submissions – and only submissions – on his mind between now and September.
Kade Ruotolo pinpoints the dangers that Mikey Musumeci presents
Despite his obvious size advantage over Mikey Musumeci, Kade Ruotolo is aware of the threat “Darth Rigatoni” will present at ONE 168: Denver.
Appearing on ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s podcast, Mighty, Ruotolo revealed his mindset going into his bout with one of the top pound-for-pound grapplers on the planet.
“I’m excited every time I get a matchup. I love what I do for a living, I love my job. So, I’m just grateful and stoked. I can’t complain,” he said.
“This is just another one to put on the record. 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, and he can leglock anyone in the world. So, anyone with that kind of finishing mechanics, if he can get on one of your legs, he can finish anyone. So, it still kind of excites me in a way. I’m ready for it, I’m excited.”
In addition to his victory under MMA rules, Ruotolo is unbeaten in six bouts under the ONE banner in submission-only rules. The California native has held the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title since the belt’s inception in 2022.
Musumeci, for his part, is also unbeaten under the ONE banner. Most recently, the 27-year-old moved up a weight class to submit Gabriel Sousa with a calf slicer in a bantamweight submission grappling bout at ONE 167.