Abdulkadirov will be making his debut in ONE, and despite some impressive accolades, is considered a big underdog ahead of time, leaving fans hoping to see Ruotolo tackle someone at his exceptional level in the form of flyweight champ Musumeci.

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He is open to that fan friendly clash, but it is not his first choice, as he considers Musumeci a friend – and does not want to be perceived as benefiting from a size advantage.

“I’m always open to fighting anyone,” Ruotolo said. “I’m good friends with Mikey – you know Mikey’s the man – so I don’t generally want to fight him.

“I’m not used to fighting people smaller than me, that’s for sure. I usually just look for the biggest guy possible. I’m down to fight anyone whether they’re smaller or bigger but I prefer not to fight Mikey, to be honest with you.

“I know a lot of people are asking for that match but if that’s what people want to see, if that’s what Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE chairman and CEO] wants to set up, and if that’s what Mikey wants, then we can do it, 100 per cent.

“It would be an interesting match for sure, but sticking with the big guys is where my heart is at.”

Musumeci, for his part, seems to have a similar outlook on the potential match-up, but has showed he is not afraid of tackling larger opponents, having submitted lightweight Shinya Aoki last month in an openweight clash.

“I guess in the future,” he told the Post when asked about a match with Ruotolo.

“I’m not really afraid of anyone. I just love grappling with cool people and exchanging and learning. If it made sense I would love to compete with some of the best guys in the heavier divisions, but right now I still have unfinished business in lighter divisions.”

The first priority for Ruotolo, of course, is getting by Abdulkadirov, some of whose achievements have impressed the 20-year-old.

“He’s a tough individual,” he said. “Not a lot of guys in the jiu jitsu community know him, but he’s very underrated and very tough. He’s got wins over Fabricio Andrey, Mica Galvao, very high-level guys. I’m expecting a tough opponent.”

The widespread confidence in a Ruotolo win this Saturday also stems from his recent dominance. Since joining ONE last year, he has defeated Garry Tonon, Marat Gafurov, Reinier de Ridder and Saygid “Dagi” Arslanaliev.

Of those four opponents, only the much larger De Ridder survived to a decision.

His brother has been similarly dominant, but he assures that speaks more to their skill than the quality of their opponents.

“I feel we’ve been making it look easy the last few times we’ve been fighting,” he said. “All of our opponents are game. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.[Abdulkadirov] is no different.

“But I can’t wait to have the belt around my waist. It’s going to feel so good. All the hard work’s paying off. Our lives have changed a lot ever since we signed with ONE.”

Winning a belt will be a great achievement for Ruotolo, but it is far from the last item on his to-do list.

The rising grappling star is hoping for a rematch with Brazil’s Nicholas Meregali, who he lost a controversial decision to at the ADCC World Championships last summer, and ultimately, a showdown with fellow American Gordon Ryan, who is considered one of the sport’s top competitors.

Both are much bigger than he is.

“After this, if Gordon doesn’t feel like I’m ready, I’ll take down Meregali,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to get that one back. After that, let’s set that one up with Gordon.

“I don’t think there’s anyone around my size that can beat me, and I know for sure I can beat all the bigger guys too. I just want to keep proving myself. Eventually I want to be the best pound-for-pound grappler in the world. That’s always been my goal.”