Kade Ruotolo believes he has a “95.3 percent chance” of submitting Mikey Musumeci in Denver super fight
Kade Ruotolo is fairly certain he's leaving Denver not just with the gold, but also with a submission win over Mikey Musumeci.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will defend his throne in an absolute super fight against the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion at ONE 168: Denver.
Ruotolo's champion-versus-champion clash goes down at Ball Arena on September 6.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Kade Ruotolo expressed his confidence in retaining his throne and even gave a certain percentage on the chance he walks away with submission.
He said:
"There is a 95.3 percent chance that I'll get the submission."
Ruotolo is considered one of the most innovative submission grapplers of his generation, and his exciting style rightfully catapulted him to the upper echelons of the sport.
The 21-year-old sports 29 wins in his professional career and is a perfect 7-0 in ONE Championship, with three submission finishes in the promotion.
Ruotolo is 6-0 in his submission grappling matches in ONE Championship and is coming off a dream MMA debut when he submitted American brawler Blake Cooper at ONE 167.
Apart from the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title, Ruotolo also holds world championships in the Craig Jones Invitational, ADCC, Who's Number One, and Eddie Bravo Invitational.
Musumeci, meanwhile, also holds a perfect 7-0 promotional record, with five submission finishes.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available at Ticketmaster.
Kade Ruotolo ready to explore every route to beat Mikey Musumeci in Denver
Kade Ruotolo is no doubt one of the finest Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists on the planet, but he hides a multitude of tricks up the sleeves of his rashguard.
The California native is an adept wrestler inside the cage and never shies away from slamming his opponents down to the mat if he feels it.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Ruotolo said he'll try to use every possibility to bring Musumeci down and potentially get a highlight submission finish in Denver.
"So some people may view that (Musumeci's skills) as more technical. Like sticking to his guns and sticking to his techniques. Or it's his strategy, maybe. And some people may view it as my game is more technical as trying to explore every route to victory, either with passing, submitting from the guard, or from the top."