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Kade Ruotolo is familiar with how Mikey Musumeci stormed the grappling world with his incredible skills.
Ruotolo will be able to experience it firsthand when he defends his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against fellow ONE world champion in the co-main event of ONE 168: Denver on September 6.
And despite all the acclaim that would come with a successful title defense in the Ball Arena, Denver, he is primarily motivated to face the 28-year-old rival for one simple reason: the opportunity to grapple with an all-time great.
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Ruotolo told ONE Championship before he clashes with Musumeci when ONE returns to U.S. soil for the second time:
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“I remember watching him at black belt finals as a child with my brother. And now we’re having a match. So, it’s pretty crazy."
Ruotolo added:
"That’s the most exciting part about this – being able to share the mat.”
Whatever the results may be for these two grappling phenoms, their epic matchup will attract fans across the globe and generate much hype.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are still available via Ticketmaster.
ONE Championship's Kade Ruotolo conquered CJI to win $1 million
Grappling phenom Kade Ruotolo had just added another massive accomplishment to his resume.
The undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion blasted through the 16-man bracket of the under-80kg division in the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) over the weekend.
Defeating three opponents within the course of two days, Ruotolo slid through to face Levi-Jones Leary, the man who eliminated his brother Tye on Day 1. As the final match went underway, Ruotolo had to face some problems at the start.
After adjusting to the Australian's leg-lock game and guard retention, the Californian flipped the script in the championship rounds.
At the end of the day, his tenacity and relentless game, as well as his overall control, placed him ahead in the scorecards.
Check his victorious moments here:
Next, Kade Ruotolo will face Mikey Musumeci in an epic world title defense at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6. Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.
