Kade Ruotolo says he never runs from a challenge: “I’ve always accepted it”

Reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo of the United States says he never backs down from a chance to test himself against the world's best, which is why he had to say yes to fighting flyweight king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci.

Ruotolo and Musumeci lock horns in September, and it's one of the most highly anticipated showdowns in the jiu-jitsu community.

In a recent guest appearance on the MightyCast podcast with Demetrious Johnson on YouTube, Ruotolo talked about the opportunity to take on an equal legend of the game.

The 21-year-old phenom told 'Mighty Mouse':

"I’ve never declined a match-up ever in my lifetime. Every match that has ever been gifted to me I’ve always accepted it. To be honest with you, it wasn’t that I wanted to fight Mikey. He’s a smaller competitor. They offered it a couple of times and I said yes."

Needless to say, Ruotolo is in for a tremendous matchup against the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, and will need to be at his absolute best in order to get past this tough test.

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Kade Ruotolo to lock horns with 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci in jiu-jitsu superfight at ONE 168: Denver

Kade Ruotolo will defend his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title against 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci, who is moving up three weight divisions to make this showdown happen.

The two elite grapplers go head-to-head at ONE 168: Denver, in ONE Championship's glorious return to U.S. soil later this year.

The event broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.

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