“Since then, we've been like family” - The incident that brought Mikey Musumeci and Rodtang closer
Mikey Musumeci explained how he and fellow ONE Championship world title holder Rodtang became friends.
There aren't many combat sports friendships that are more wholesome than Musumeci and Rodtang. Despite not speaking the same language, the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion and ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion have established a strong bond.
During an interview with Cageside Press, Musumeci had this to say about what led to his friendship with 'The Iron Man':
"He almost missed weight, you know. So I had his back, and I said, Rodtang, listen to me, this is what we're going to do. And then we did it together. And since then, we've been like family, we really look out for each other. I spend time a lot in his house in Thailand with his family, and he sometimes calls his friend. He has always one friend with him who speaks English so they could translate for us."
Over the last two years, several videos emerged of Mikey Musumeci and Rodtang spending time together. Many fans have wondered what caliber of MMA fighters they could become if they trained together consistently for an extended period.
Watch Musumeci's entire interview with Cageside Press below:
Mikey Musumeci and Rodtang prepare for their respective upcoming world title fights
On September 6, Mikey Musumeci will leave his flyweight throne and attempt to become a two-sport submission grappling world champion. To do so, 'Darth Rigatoni' must take out ONE lightweight king Kade Ruotolo, who also holds an undefeated record under the ONE Championship banner.
Ruotolo vs Musumeci will take place inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, for the ONE 168 co-main event. Tickets for the event can be found on Ticketmaster.
Meanwhile, Rodtang is scheduled to defend his flyweight Muay Thai world title in a rematch on November 8. 'The Iron Man' looks to secure another win against Jacob Smith after getting his hand raised by a unanimous decision in May 2022.
Rodtang vs. Smith will take place inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The upcoming event features four world title fights, including Anatoly Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane (heavyweight MMA), Christian Lee vs. Alibeg Rasulov (lightweight MMA), and Tawanchai vs. Jo Nattawut (featherweight Muay Thai).