ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci was looking to become a two-division World Champion this weekend, but a last-minute change has instead led to him dropping his own belt on the scales.

ONE 168: Denver was originally scheduled to pit two of the best grapplers of this generation when ‘Darth Rigatoni’ challenges Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title. Unfortunately, the newly-crowned CJI under-80kg tournament winner pulled out of the bout due to injuries.

Mikey Musumeci to take on Bebeto Oliveira after Routolo pulls out

The match was highly anticipated to send shockwaves in the grappling community considering the incredible list of accomplishments the fighters have between them. However, the disappointing development has left off the lightweight champ from the event.

Instead of getting left off the card completely, Musumeci decided to take on a late replacement in old rival, Bebeto Oliveira in Ball Arena on U.S. primetime this Friday, September 6.

Oliveira is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and is a 2024 IBJJF World Champion and a 2021 IBJJF NOGI World Champion. He and Musumeci once squared off back in 2021, with the latter getting the better of him on that contest. He will be looking to avenge that loss in a grand stage, as he makes his first appearance in ONE Championship.

Meanwhile, Musumeci has proven to be a dominant force in the flyweight division, which is why he was willing to move three weight divisions up to challenge Ruotolo for the lightweight gold. He may be facing an opponent he has defeated before, but it may not be as easy as his earlier conquests in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Why Oliveira poses a unique challenge for ‘Darth Rigatoni’

For one, Oliveira has also grown as a martial artist since their last meeting as Musumeci did. Moreover, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ needs to drop back down to flyweight after putting in the much-needed weight to be able to match up well against Ruotolo.

Originally set to be a ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title defense, the match is yet to be confirmed following Musumeci’s failure to reach the flyweight limit at the official weight-ins of the event. Musumeci has apologized to fans for not making weight, despite the incredible challenge of dropping back to 135-pounds in 72 hours after months of training to compete at the 170-pound limit.

It now lies on Oliveira to accept the bout as an openweight matchup, but plenty more action is expected to take place at ONE 168, be sure to check your local listings to catch the event! Who do you think will win in their bout?