In a ONE FC post-event press conference, submission grappling champion Kade Ruotolo shared his thoughts on Mikey Musumeci’s departure from the organization.
When asked about Musumeci leaving, Ruotolo expressed disappointment, saying:
“Obviously, that’s a pretty big bummer, you know, especially with, uh, I thought for sure we were going to get that match coming up here in the future. Unfortunately, that last one didn’t turn out, and, you know, I think he had some injuries going on, you know, from his weight cut or whatever for the rest of this year. So, I was thinking next year we were going to get it going for sure.”
Ruotolo seemed surprised by Musumeci’s decision to leave ONE FC, stating:
“I don’t really see where else he’s going to go to, you know, as far as, you know, ONE Championship, to me, is, is, is, you know, not only just the highest level, but, you know, the most opportunity, you know, so we’ll see where Mikey goes from there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up coming back.”
The comments suggest Ruotolo had been anticipating a future matchup with Musumeci before his departure. He also expressed his view that ONE Championship offers the highest level of competition and opportunities in the sport.
Meanwhile, ONE FC president Chatri Sityodtong strongly suggested ONE FC is on a trajectory to build up Kade Ruotolo vs. Marcelo Garcia.
Kade Ruotolo revealed that his brother Tye is eager to make his MMA debut, though timing will depend on physical recovery.
Speaking at the ONE 169 post-event press conference, Ruotolo shared that his brother is enthusiastic about transitioning to MMA, stating: “He’s ready to tomorrow, you know, he just got to make sure his body’s physically ready.”
According to Kade, both brothers plan to take the remainder of this year to focus on recovery before making their impact in 2024. “We’re going to spend the rest of this year just recovering, fixing our bodies up ’cause [it’s] starting to get [us] down a little bit,” he explained. “Try to fix up the bodies, and next year both my brother and I believe we’re going to make some really big statements.”
Kade humorously noted his brother’s eagerness despite dealing with injuries: “I mean, the guy has, like, however many torn ligaments in his knee, he’s still trying to box me. I’m like, relax.”
The comments came after Kade’s own successful MMA showing at ONE 169, where he secured his second victory in the sport.
