ONE 168: Mikey Musumeci says he’ll go "freaking hard" in search of submission win over Kade Ruotolo
Mikey Musumeci is coming for a finish against fellow ONE world champion Kade Ruotolo.
On Friday, September 6, two of the greatest grapplers in the world will collide when ONE Championship heads to Ball Arena in 'The Mile High City' for ONE 168: Denver.
Stepping into the co-main event spotlight, current ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci will move up three weight classes in a bid to become the promotion's first-ever two-division submission grappling king.
Standing in his way will be the reigning and defending ONE lightweight submission grappling world titleholder, Kade Ruotolo.
With their highly anticipated clash quickly approaching, 'Darth Rigatoni' made it clear that when the moment arrives, he'll be going hard and looking for another highlight-reel finish against the 2022 ADCC world champion:
"I think the people should expect me to go freaking hard," Musumeci told Cageside Press. "I'm going forward the whole time looking to finish him."
See the interview below:
Musumeci brings with him a 71 percent finish rate inside the circle, with his last four scraps all ending inside the distance.
Mikey Musumeci ready to make history with Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver
Like Mikey Musumeci, Kade Ruotolo walks into ONE 168: Denver with an unbeaten 7-0 record.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion also carries with him some serious momentum as he enters the bout with back-to-back submissions against Francisco Lo and Blake Cooper.
Ruotolo also took home the top prize in the Under 80kg division at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Knowing just how dangerous his opponent is, Musumeci is excited for the opportunity to deliver a memorable matchup against Ruotolo and help grow the sport of BJJ on martial arts' biggest global stage:
"That's why we're going to make history together," Musumeci added. "We really want to get jiu-jitsu into the mainstream. And we really want to keep growing the sport. So two guys that come forward and kill each other, I think that's what's going to do it, like a brawl, like that vibe."
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.