“On a mission” - Mikey Musumeci’s insane climb from flyweight to lightweight ahead of world title challenge against Kade Ruotolo
Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci of the United States is getting ready to climb the tallest mountain he's ever attempted in his career, figuratively speaking.
The ONE Championship 135-pound king will be moving up three weight classes to challenge Kade Ruotolo for his lightweight strap.
As such, Musumeci has focused on gaining the necessary size to compete with the much larger Ruotolo, but also maintaining his strength and flexibility. He's been hard at work in the gym, bulking up.
Needless to say, the results are absolutely stunning.
ONE Championship recently posted a carousel of images detailing Musumeci's progress. Check it out below.
Flyweight submission grappling king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci will go for double gold when he takes on Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title.
The two lock horns at ONE 168: Denver, which goes down live at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video, while those who want to witness the event in-stadium can get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding ONE 168: Denver as it happens.
Mikey Musumeci attributes prime physical condition to being a natural athlete: "I think it’s crazy"
Flyweight submission grappling world champ 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci is a major advocate of a drug-free sport of BJJ.
The 28-year-old Italian-American star has long criticized the open use of performance enhancing drugs in BJJ, and says it's not only cheating, but dangerous to athlete health.
He told ONE Championship in a recent interview:
"I think it’s crazy. I’m 28 now. Do I look 28? I look so much younger than 28. And we look at people that are 28, 29 in jiu-jitsu, and they look 30-something, you know, like 40s, and it just shows you what steroids do to your body. My body is like, 20, 21 right now. I’m very young, my body, and that’s why I have so many more years I could compete."