Kade Ruotolo hopeful Andre Galvao will be at his corner for Mikey Musumeci war: “He should be able to make it”
Kade Ruotolo hopes that Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend and world-renowned coach Andre Galvao will be in his corner when he returns to the Circle on Friday, Sept. 6.
Following a successful MMA debut at ONE 167 in June, the reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will step back on the mat ready to defend his crown versus one of the most dangerous men in the BJJ game — Mikey Musumeci.
'Darth Rigatoni' will move up three weight classes from his post as the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion in a bid to hand Ruotolo his first loss inside the Circle and etch his name in the history books as ONE's first-ever two-division submission grappling king.
Their highly anticipated clash with co-headline ONE 168 when ONE Championship heads back to The Mile High City—Denver, Colorado.
One man Ruotolo can count on to be in his corner is his twin brother and fellow ONE world champion Tye Ruotolo.
Speaking with Cageside Press, the 21-year-old grappling wizard also hopes that Galvao will be there to help guide him to another big win on martial arts' biggest global stage.
"I hope so," Ruotolo said when asked about Galvao's presence at ONE 168: Denver. "More than likely, it's probably the closest fight, so he should be able to make it this time around. So yeah, fingers crossed, hopefully Professor Galvao is going to be there."
Galvao is the co-founder and head coach at Atos Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego, California — one of the most successful BJJ gyms around the world, home to both Tye and Kade Ruotolo.
Kade Ruotolo believes he has multiple routes to victory against Mikey Musumeci
Outside of the obvious size difference, Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo are evenly matched in the eyes of many—particularly when it comes to skill sets. Still, Ruotolo believes that when push comes to shove, he's going into ONE 168: Denver with more paths to victory than his opponent.
“I think one thing that favors me in the matchup is that I feel like I have a lot of different routes to victory, whether it’s going for the back or sticking to my passing.”
Kade Ruotolo will enter his next title fight having never once suffered a loss inside the Circle, scoring six wins in the submission grappling division and a first-round finish in his MMA debut.
Like Ruotolo, Mikey Musumeci rides into The Centennial State with a perfect record, going 7-0 against some of the biggest names in all of ONE Championship, including current interim ONE strawweight MMA champion Jarred Brooks, former ONE lightweight MMA titleholder Shinya Aoki, and Brazilian menace Gabriel Sousa.
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 at Ball Arena.