“I didn't call out Mike” - Kade Ruotolo reveals why he was hesitant to grapple Mikey Musumeci at first

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo has revealed that he never really thought about grappling flyweight king Mikey Musumeci until it was offered to him.

Not one to turn down any fights, Ruotolo, however, never saw Musumeci as his competition. After all, the Italian-American star is a world champion more than a couple of weight classes below him. The size difference is just too big of a gap.

But the essence of the art of jiu-jitsu is that, through technical precision, the smaller man has a chance at beating the bigger man. This is why there are many cross-divisional showdowns in BJJ and even openweight tournaments.

Speaking to Cageside Press in a recent interview, Ruotolo said he said that initially, he didn't really think he would ever grapple with Musumeci.

The 21-year-old phenom said:

"I didn't call out Mikey. I've never been looking to fight a smaller opponent, you know. To be entirely honest with you, I had no interest in fighting Mikey."

Lo and behold, Ruotolo and Musumeci are now on a collision course that has the entire jiu-jitsu world talking.

'Darth Rigatoni' is considered one of the pound-for-pound greatest to ever compete in BJJ, while Ruotolo is the sport's hottest young property today.

Kade Ruotolo to defend lightweight gold against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver

21-year-old American superstar Kade Ruotolo is set to defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci.

The two lock horns at ONE 168: Denver, which broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, Sept. 6.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video. Those who want to catch the action in-stadium can get tickets on Ticketmaster.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.