Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sensation Mikey Musumeci has always been proud of being a natural athlete in a sport riddled with performance-enhancing drugs.

The ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion will have another chance to showcase his talents when he goes for a historic second crown in his challenge of lightweight titleholder Kade Ruotolo’s belt at ONE 168: Denver on U.S. primetime on Friday, September 6 inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, and he’s making sure his message is clear.

Mikey Musumeci’s fight against PEDs in Jiu-Jitsu

Both Musumeci and Ruotolo are famed for their skills on the canvas and outspoken views on PEDs, and “Darth Rigatoni” explained why it is important for him to stay steroid-free in a recent interview. “I’m constantly thinking how I could have a positive effect on society and how I could help people. I do feel like I’m in a very hard sport of jiu-jitsu, where it’s still normalized taking drugs and steroids,” he said.

He further added, “Any other sport – baseball, football, soccer, any other sport – this would be ridiculous. But in our sport [it’s common to say], ‘Oh, everyone’s on it. It doesn’t matter.’ So I feel like I’m in the position where I’m able to show, yes, there are people on steroids, but not everyone’s on it, and they’re losing to me,

“So what does that tell you guys? That mindset of, ‘Everyone’s on it, you can do it too’ is wrong. You’re cheating. It’s as simple as that. So that’s something I really hope in my lifetime I’m able to get to support the change.” Currently, there are no strict regulations regarding the use of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This has made taking them a common part of the sport.

Musumeci and Ruotolo set for Epic Grappling Showdown

On the other hand, ONE Championship regularly tests athletes in all of the martial arts disciplines it features, with a focus on ensuring that everyone competes on a level playing field. Musumeci believes that the decision to take PEDs shouldn’t come down to whether or not the promotion a fighter is involved with enforces drug testing, as the dangers of doing so are abundantly clear.

“You could say that if you’re in a certain organization that doesn’t test. Yes, in your organization, it might be legal on paper, but you’re still morally and ethically wrong. And, you’re probably f***ing up your body for a long time. So, who wants to do that?” he said.

When Musumeci and Ruotolo clash at ONE 168, fans will see two grapplers at the peak of their abilities competing for a World Title with just natural skill and dedication on display. And it promises to be absolute fireworks.