Mikey Musumeci ONE 168 Kade Ruotolo: WATCH: When American BJJ superstar Mikey Musumeci channels the dark side of the Force and becomes 'Darth Rigatoni'

WATCH: When American BJJ superstar Mikey Musumeci channels the dark side of the Force and becomes 'Darth Rigatoni'

Modified Aug 26, 2024 12:10 GMT

Mikey Musumeci will challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship at ONE 168. [Photo via: ONE Championship]

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci possesses a Jedi-like calm every time he competes, but he can tap into the Dark Side of the Force if pushed over the edge.

ONE Championship fans witnessed the mild-mannered Musumeci turn to the Dark Side after forcing Gabriel Sousa to tap out to a calf slicer this past June at ONE 167, finally exacting his revenge from their September 2021 encounter outside of the promotion.

'Darth Rigatoni' tore into Sousa in the post-fight interview for making their purely competitive rivalry into something personal, prompting him to give in to his Dark Side like how Anakin Skywalker ultimately became Darth Vader.

Watch Mikey Musumeci turn into 'Darth Rigatoni' below, as shared by ONE on YouTube:

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The long-awaited triumph over his Brazilian foe gave Musumeci his seventh straight victory and fifth submission finish under the ONE banner.

Now that he has settled his issues with Sousa, the 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) superstar will challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 inside the Ball Arena.

Mikey Musumeci promises non-stop aggression at ONE 168

Mikey Musumeci will look to channel the all-out aggression of close friend and ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his upcoming world title challenge against ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver.

Musumeci recently told ONE Championship:

"I'm never just defending. I'm just [moving] forward every second. I'm literally the Rodtang of jiu-jitsu. But that's my style. I'm literally going for the finish every second. Yes, I am a butt-scooter. Like, I do pull guard, but I'm [moving] forward every second, looking to sub the person."

Watch ONE 168 live inside the Ball Arena on September 6. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi