“It’s a constant battle” - Mikey Musumeci shares the challenges of bumping up to lightweight ahead of ONE 168

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is no longer new to competing in weight classes higher than his traditional lane but admits it is always a challenge every time he does. It is something he is going through currently as he girds for his trek up to lightweight for his next match.

'Darth Rigatoni' will challenge lightweight king Kade Ruotolo for his belt at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., on Sept. 6 in an all-champion clash. It will be the co-headlining match of the event, which will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Mikey Musumeci shared the challenges he has to deal with in his attempt to add the lightweight gold to his haul, saying:

"A lot of sleeping, a lot of walking, a lot of sauna -- all these things I'm trying. I'm eating more sugar sometimes, too, because the sugar helps me sleep. Like, sometimes if I'm not eating enough sugar, I'll wake up starving still. So it's a constant battle, but, yeah, that's honestly where I'm at right now."

Mikey Musumeci is coming off a victory in the bantamweight class against longtime rival Gabriel Sousa of Brazil in June. He exacted payback by way of submission on his opponent after being dealt a defeat in an event outside of ONE Championship three years ago.

Meanwhile, Ruotolo will be making his fourth defense of the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title, which he won in October 2022.

ONE 168: Denver will take place at the Ball Arena, home of the NBA's Denver Nuggets. Tickets are now available on Ticketmaster.

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Mikey Musumeci sees an uphill battle against Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168

Mikey Musumeci is not only facing challenges in his preparation against Kade Ruotolo but expects it to continue come ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6.

On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the 28-year-old flyweight submission grappling world champion underscored how massive of a task is to go up against a bigger opponent with topnotch skills like him.

'Darth Rigatoni' shared in the interview, which was uploaded on June 18:

"September 6. ONE 168 in Colorado. I'm going up to face Kade Ruotolo for the lightweight belt. Three weight classes up. I have the flyweight belt. He has the lightweight belt. If I win this match, I have two different belts in two different classes. So it's a fu**ing challenge."

Watch the interview below:

ONE 168: Denver will be the second live on-ground event in the United States of ONE Championship after that in May last year, also in Colorado.