"It just keeps getting crazier" - Mikey Musumeci dialed in for Kade Ruotolo war after statement finish of Gabriel Sousa

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci excels when he finds himself in tough situations. With one already out of the way, the New Jersey native is ready to conquer another come ONE 168: Denver.

'Darth Rigatoni' avenged his defeat to Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167 earlier this month, silencing the Brazilian debutant with a mean calf-slicer finish slightly over three minutes into their rematch.

With confidence in his stride, the Evolve MMA athlete hopes to repeat the scenario when he moves up three weight divisions to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling gold inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on September 6.

Addressing his two matchups in what seems primed to be another typical year for the pasta-loving grappling wizard, Mikey Musumeci told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:

"I just had fun being real out there. And I'm just excited to keep improving my level of jiu-jitsu, which has grown so much. Now, I have another challenge in September. It just keeps getting crazier."

Watch the full interview here:

North American fans eager to catch his vicious finishing maneuver over Sousa can do so by watching the full ONE 167 event replay on Amazon Prime Video.

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Mikey Musumeci fired up for Denver slugfest vs. Ruotolo: "We go again"

In slightly over two months, one of, if not, the best submission grappling contests of the year gets underway when Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo go toe-to-toe in North America.

Ruotolo, shortly after his victorious MMA debut over Blake Cooper at ONE 167, bared his excitement to lock horns with the five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. 'Darth Rigatoni' echoed a similar sentiment.

In a recent Instagram post, the American grappling wizard and ONE world champion started his countdown for what could go on to be a long 10-minute war for both men.

The caption read:

"Eleven weeks until we go again."

Tickets for his showdown against Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver are already on sale here. The promotion's second on-ground spectacle in North America broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in U.S. primetime on September 6.