SUMMARY
- Mikey Musumeci is set to take on Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver.
- Ahead of the contest, Musumeci makes a big statement.
ONE Submission Grappling World Champions Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci have pledged to put on the biggest bout in the sport’s history, and they’re promising to do it as cleanly as possible.
Flyweight submission grappling king Musumeci steps up a staggering three weight classes to challenge Ruotolo for his ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE 168: Denver, ONE’s highly anticipated return to the United States on September 6.
This dream matchup between two of the best grapplers on the planet has often been discussed among fans, and Kade made the announcement on Instagram that the debate will be settled at the Ball Arena in Denver.
“You guys asked for it, you got it,” he said.
“Me vs Mikey for the lightweight belt @onechampionship this September in Denver.”
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The sport of submission grappling has been plagued by rampant steroid use outside of ONE, but the American stars have pledged to be a shining light for clean grapplers across the globe.
Mikey Musumeci feels this opportunity is “truly an honor”
Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo will compete for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE 168: Denver, and “Darth Rigatoni” can’t wait to show that PEDs are not required to make it to the top.
Commenting on Ruotolo’s Instagram post, the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion expressed his admiration for his upcoming foe and gave the World Title match a new moniker.
“You’re a legend bro!” Musumeci wrote.
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“Truly an honor to have the opportunity to have a match with you. Still want to root for you against me. Natty world championship let’s go!”
For the uninitiated, “natty” is a modern abbreviation of “natural.” In any case, September 6 won’t be Musumeci’s first foray up to the lightweight division. The American superstar defeated former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki by submission at the 170-pound limit in October 2023, after dominating the flyweight grappling division since his promotional debut in 2022.
In the interim, he will also venture up to bantamweight to face old foe Gabriel Sousa in a non-title contest at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video on June 7.