"One of the best in the world" - Kade Ruotolo shifting focus to Mikey Musumeci after stunning MMA conquest vs Blake Cooper
ONE 167 was a huge moment for both Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci who shared the card with one another.
The two elite grapplers both had big questions to answer in two pivotal match-ups in their own careers before they eventually cross paths in the near future.
For Kade, June 7 was all about finally making the leap into MMA where he was successful on his debut against Blake Cooper.
Submission grappling has taken a backseat over the past several months as he worked on his overall game before embarking on this new challenge.
During the lead-up to his mixed martial arts debut, it was announced that Kade will be one part of a submission grappling super fight that is locked in for ONE 168 in Denver.
He will be defending his ONE lightweight world championship against Musumeci who will be moving up three weight classes from his natural home at flyweight.
After submitting Cooper, Kade spoke about how it is 'Darth Rigatoni' that now deserves his full attention due to how highly he rates his next opponent:
"Mikey's an amazing competitor, pound-for-pound one of the best in the world. Just here to show my grappling skills and my MMA skills in the future."
Kade Ruotolo has a big challenge on his hands
For submission grappling fans, September 6 can't come fast enough and both Kade Ruotolo and Mikey Musumeci know what their super fight clash could mean for the sport given both of their statures.
Musumeci may be moving up three weight classes for this contest but his performance at ONE 167 showed exactly why he is still a very dangerous opponent regardless of weight.
At the Impact Arena, the flyweight champion made the move to bantamweight in order to secure revenge over the last man to beat him, Gabriel Sousa.
Regardless of weight class or where he feels most comfortable, the calf slicer submission that he secured closed the show in style, proving why Kade must be at the peak of his powers come their meeting in Denver.
ONE 167 is free to watch back in full via Prime Video for US and Canadian fans who missed out on any of the action.