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Bebeto Oliveira replaces Kade Ruotolo and challenges Mikey Musumeci for submission grappling gold at ONE 168: Denver.

Heavyweight submission grappling king Kade Ruotolo suffered an injury and was forced to pull out of his highly anticipated world title defense against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 168: Denver. However, a last-minute substitute took over the duel with Musumeci, so he can still compete on the blockbuster card.

The fight is scheduled to take place live on September 6th at prime time in the Ball Arena in the USA. “Darth Rigatoni” will now put his ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title on the line against the reigning IBJJF World Champion Bebeto Oliveira.

Musumeci has spent the past few months preparing to move up three weight classes and challenge Ruotolo, but after the Californian sustained injuries during his $1 million victory at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational, the fight was unfortunately canceled.

However, Oliveira is anything but a weakling and will pose a serious challenge to the defending flyweight champion.

The Brazilian is a respected and decorated BJJ black belt and boasts IBJJF World Championship titles in both Gi and No-Gi competitions, as well as IBJJF Pan-American titles in both Gi and No-Gi competitions. Known for his masterful guard play and versatile, well-rounded game, Oliveira has been a mainstay of the elite BJJ scene in both Gi and No-Gi competitions for several years.

He will now take the biggest opportunity of his career with less than a week's notice.

To make things even more interesting, this isn't the first time Musumeci has shared the mat with the challenger. In 2021, the two met in the quarterfinals of the IBJJF World Championships, with the New Jersey native walking away with a submission win via his signature ankle lock.

Since then, however, Oliveira has made significant progress, scoring impressive victories over IBJJF World Champions such as Edwin “Junny” Ocasio, Paulo Miyao and Thalison Soares, as well as two victories over former ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title challenger Cleber “Clandestino” Sousa.

Musumeci, for his part, has established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound submission grapplers in the world. The reigning submission grappling king enters this contest on an incredible winning streak dating back to 2021, and is fresh off a dominant submission victory over Gabriel Sousa – a performance many are calling the best of his illustrious career.

With only a few days left until ONE 168, Oliveira has the chance to redeem himself against the American on September 6th and establish himself as a world superstar.

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