"One of my toughest tests" - Kade Ruotolo expects a difficult world title defense against Mikey Musumeci in Denver

ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo knows that his upcoming defense against ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 will be his toughest test yet.

In an interview with Cageside Press, Ruotolo admitted:

"Absolutely, I know he'll be one of my toughest tests, you know. But I'm ready. I'm stoked."

Watch Kade Ruotolo's full interview below:

Gifted with insane athleticism, the 21-year-old from San Diego, California, is easily one of the biggest names on the ONE Championship roster.

The Atos product captured the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship in his second ONE bout by submitting Russian star Uali Kurzhev with a nasty heel hook. He has since defended it successfully thrice.

Ruotolo competed at his heaviest under the ONE banner when he submitted Francisco Lo in their 180-pound catchweight submission grappling bout this past April at ONE Fight Night 21.

This past June, Ruotolo made his long-awaited MMA debut and pulled off a rear-naked choke submission win over lightweight MMA standout Blake Cooper just over three minutes into the first round.

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Danielle Kelly predicts a successful defense for Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168

ONE Championship fans and fighters alike have been making their picks as to whom they see leaving ONE 168: Denver with the ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship.

In the eyes of former ONE atomweight submission grappling world champion Danielle Kelly, Kade Ruotolo has everything he needs to ensure a successful defense on Sept. 6 inside the Ball Arena.

The American star said in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

"I'm a big fan of the Ruotolos, I love their style. I'm not saying that Mikey's bad or anything, I think it's up at Kade's weight class, right? So, as a smaller person, I feel like the bigger person always wins. But I feel like they're both technical. But I think Kade's just overall like a good grappler. So I might have to give it to Kade."

Watch the full interview with Danielle Kelly below:

Watch ONE 168: Denver live inside the Ball Arena on Sept. 6 by purchasing your tickets via Ticketmaster.