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The second successful world title defense of undisputed ONE flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci happened in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10 against Osamah Almarwai inside the 1stBank Center in Denver.
Musumeci used his post-fight interview to reveal the difficult time he went through due to depression, and ONE Championship recently reported it on Instagram with the caption:
"Coming back strong 💪 Can Mikey Musumeci overcome the odds when he moves up in weight to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Championship on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver? 🏆 @mikeymusumeci"
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'Darth Rigatoni' revealed that he had to battle through an episode of his depression before the world championship showdown with Almarwai, and has since become a champion in advocating mental health awareness.
Fans lauded this brave revelation by the American BJJ savant, and the comments from users @thewaywardpoet, @camillegarriga, @m.f.kadi, @jeffreyj42, and @sandor_earl spearheaded the positive messages in the post:
"@mikeymusumeci is the one of the kindest, humblest dudes in all of sports. An honor well earned! 👊"
"You are blessed and you are a blessing. Keep moving forward dear 🌻💛"
"master mikey 🐐❤️❤️"
"Heck yeah @mikeymusumeci can do it! The man is a beast!"
"You're the man brother.. Keep inspiring!!"
Mikey Musumeci to challenge Kade Ruotolo for ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE 168: Denver
Musumeci added three more victories to his record after that incredible submission of Almarwai, defeating Jarred Brooks, Shinya Aoki, and Gabriel Sousa to extend his unbeaten streak to seven.
Now, he is set to face reigning ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo for his 26-pound golden belt on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver, which goes down inside the Ball Arena in Colorado.
ONE 168: Denver goes down at Ball Arena in U.S. primetime on Sept. 6. Tickets for the event are available on Ticketmaster.
