"They're extremely sticky to the legs" - Kade Ruotolo sees similarities between Mikey Musumeci and former foe Lachlan Giles

Kade Ruotolo knows he must watch out for every leg lock imaginable to retain his lightweight submission grappling world title against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver. Luckily for the 21-year-old BJJ prodigy, he already has tons of experience against leg-lockers and famously beat one of the best in the world today, Lachlan Giles.

In an appearance on the Talk-Jitsu podcast, Ruotolo recalled his 2022 ADCC World Championships scrap with the Australian. The Atos standout also couldn't help but point out the similarities between Giles and 'Darth Rigatoni', saying:

"I think Mikey is similar to Lachlan in a way where they're extremely sticky to the legs. You can't really let them get too close to anything. Once they get onto the leg, they're such a specialist as far as their details and finishing their leg locks and securing deeper leg lock positions."

Before catching Giles with a brilliant armbar, Kade Ruotolo had to weather his incredible guard retention and multiple leg lock attempts.

Here's how Kade Ruotolo submitted Lachlan Giles:

Needless to say, the youngest ADCC world champion expects a similar approach in his highly anticipated tiff with Musumeci.

The flyweight submission grappling, after all, is extremely lethal once he gets a hold of a leg, as we've seen in his victories against Gantumur Banyanduuren and Shinya Aoki inside the ONE circle.

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Kade Ruotolo expects Mikey Musumeci to go after his legs

While Ruotolo holds a significant size advantage over Musumeci, he's not underestimating him one bit.

Still, the uber-confident champion believes Musumeci only has one path to victory. He shared in the same interview:

"I believe that's gonna be his goal, is to get a leg. In the most respectful way possible, I think that his only chance [to win] is to get onto my legs and maybe transition to a possible backtake or something. I think he's banking on some footlock, or some heelhooks, or straight foot locks."

Watch the full interview:

Follow this link for tickets to ONE 168: Denver at Ball Arena on September 6.

Ruotolo will also be making his MMA debut, live in US primetime, against Blake Cooper at ONE 167 on June 7. The full event is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.