Kade Ruotolo says he has “a lot of different routes to victory” when he defends his gold against Mikey Musumeci

Although Kade Ruotolo is heading into one of the toughest fights in his grappling career, he still sees a way for him to get his hands raised at the end of the day.

Facing the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci, Ruotolo knows that he will need to use all means necessary to defend his lightweight belt at the co-main event of ONE 168: Denver.

Ahead of their fight inside the Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado on Sept. 6, the California native knows that he tends to do his best work from the top position as an elite guard passer, but he is willing to explore different routes to victory.

Moreover, he is also ready to risk his dominant position to chase the finish.

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But on the other hand, Musumeci is one of the best guard players on the planet, where he is capable of chasing traditional submissions from his closed guard, or going after leg locks from the open guard.

Ruotolo said to ONE Championship on how he can make a difference:

“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.”

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available here.

Kade Ruotolo wants second MMA fight after Denver

If Kade Ruotolo successfully defends his title against Mikey Musumeci next month, the American star will only focus on one thing – returning to mixed martial arts.

The phenomenal grappler told Cageside Press regarding this matter:

"We should try to do it again as soon as possible. I don't care who it is, just try to get me a matchup ASAP."

See the interview below:

Before his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title defense at ONE 168: Denver, Kade Ruotolo had a victorious MMA debut at ONE 167, where he submitted Blake Cooper in the first round of their matchup.