Kade Ruotolo revealed on his Instagram that his highly anticipated matchup against Mikey Musumeci at the upcoming ONE FC event in Denver has been canceled.
Ruotolo cited ongoing injuries as the reason for the cancellation, stating, “I am proud for accomplishing my goals this year of competing in gi, nogi and mma. I’m unfortunately dealing with injuries. I know a lot of people, including myself and Mikey were looking forward to the One match in Denver but unfortunately it’s off.”
The ONE FC president, Chatri Sityodtong, expressed his disappointment, saying “Rest up and heal up, Kade! I am super bummed for you and Mikey. In my opinion, this match is what blows jiu-jitsu up into mainstream all over the world.”
This cancellation comes on the heels of a string of injuries that have plagued recent high-profile jiu-jitsu events. Ruotolo himself won the $1 million prize at the Craig Jones Invitational, but the injury rate from that event has been described as “bonkers.” Several other competitors, including Tye Ruotolo, Magid Hage, Roberto Jimenez, and Jozef Chen, all suffered knee injuries severe enough to require potential surgery. There are also Luke Rockhold, Lucas Barbosa and Nicky Ryan.
There are also indications that ONE FC was aware of Ruotolo’s withdrawal for a couple of days prior to the official announcement. Several outlets with close ties to the promotion had stopped promoting the co-main event as early as 6 days ago, leading fans to speculate that the organization may have been hesitant to further impact the already lukewarm ticket sales for the event.
The Denver card has also lost another high-profile matchup, as the fight between Stamp Fairtex and Xiong Jingnan has been canceled as well. With the Ball Arena in Denver capable of holding up to 21,000 fans, ONE FC appears to be underselling the event for now.
The news of the Ruotolo vs. Musumeci cancellation is undoubtedly a disappointment for jiu-jitsu fans eagerly anticipating the clash between two of the sport’s dynamic stars.
