"I can't run as much" - Mikey Musumeci shares his preparations to go up three weight classes to challenge Kade Ruotolo

The incredible work ethic of Mikey Musumeci may be unmatched across the elite level of martial arts.

'Darth Rigatoni' does nothing but eat, sleep, and breath training both in terms of his athleticism and his skill as an elite jiu-jitsu competitor.

However, for his next contest, the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion is having to tailor his usual approach.

That's because at ONE 168 in Denver, he will move up a staggering three weight classes for a dream grappling superfight.

Musumeci and lightweight champion Kade Ruotolo have tons of respect for one another but that only makes them getting to share this moment even more special.

In order to cope with the added weight of his opponent, Musumeci is looking to put on some additional muscle, just like he did for his last contest up at bantamweight.

The flyweight champ looked absolutely shredded coming into ONE 167 and he told The MMA Hour in a recent interview that cutting out his regular running routine is a big part of this:

"I just train every second. Ever since I'm four years old, [for] 23 years I've been training like every second. I was running six miles a day for a while, but now I have to be heavier so I can't run as much because it makes me too skinny."

Watch the full interview below:

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Mikey Musumeci will be up against a tall order

Mikey Musumeci can match anyone in the world when it comes to going skill for skill, as proven by his bantamweight contest earlier this month.

The big problem he faces is that even for fellow lightweight contenders, the speed and athleticism of Kade Ruotolo are usually enough to wear people down as he chains submission attacks together.

Dealing with this additional physicality, especially in submission grappling, will be a big puzzle for Musumeci to solve but if there's anyone that can do it, it's him.

ONE 168 will air live at US prime time from the Ball Arena in Denver on September 6.