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Mikey Musumeci is a different breed of ground fighter.
After stepping up to bantamweight division and gaining victory over an heated nemesis Gabriel Sousa, Musumeci is now gearing up for his upcoming title challenge against ONE lightweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo.
in order to challenge Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver, he has to climb three divisions up from his original weight class.
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Speaking in his appearance at The MMA Hour, Musumeci stresses why he wants to climb up and face probably one of the toughest challenges in his decorated career.
He firmly said:
"Now I'm going to the next division, 77 (kilos. Who won gold at ADCC 77? Kade did. So that's why I want to have a match with him. I just want to fucking put myself in death row and fight the best guys."
This could indeed be Musumeci's toughest foe, as Ruotolo has held titles in EBI, Who's Number One, and ADCC. He currently boasts a 7-0 record in ONE, including one victory under MMA rules.
Musumeci vs. Ruotolo's epic world title match will be aired live from Denver's Ball Arena, on September 6, and tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.
Mikey Musumeci sees 'heated battle' against Kade Ruotolo
Indeed, Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo can be considered as the two best submission grapplers in recent history.
And soon, their battle at ONE 168: Denver would be the biggest affair that may define the future generation of this sport.
In a sense, Musumeci conveyed this when Mitch Chilson interviewed him after a victory over old nemesis Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167, earlier this month:
"I always ask to train with him, so why not just do it in front of a lot of people, it will be really exciting, you know? But also the energy we have with each other, so respectful."
He also added
"You don't have to be this macho guy like Gabriel [Souza] walking around like this (mimics chest out walking] with me the whole week. It's f***ing stupid! Guys, we're just having a match, 10 minutes, calm the f*** down."
