ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci has been teasing the
announcement of his next fight, and now the bomb has finally dropped.
“Darth Rigatoni” has been out of action since his show-stopping “Aoki Lock” submission win over the
moves creator, former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki, this past October.
Last week, however, he indicated that his fight camp would begin in earnest back in his native
United States.
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“The work begins! 10 weeks until my next match @onechampionship,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Every week, I will be driving 5 hours to Los Angeles to train and learn from my coach professor
@cobrinhacharles who will be leading my preparation!!!”
The revelation sent social media into meltdown with speculation over who Musumeci’s next
opponent could be. This past weekend, however, the identity of the mystery man was finally
revealed.
Mikey Musumeci Out For Revenge Against The Man Who Beat Him
Mikey Musumeci will move up to bantamweight for his next fight, as the American superstar seeks
redemption against one of the few men who defeated him – Gabriel Sousa.
The BJJ black belts will clash in a non-title bantamweight submission grappling contest at ONE 167:
Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video. The blockbuster event is set to go down at the Impact Arena
in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7.
Sousa stunned Musumeci via north-south choke in 2021 before the pair landed on the global stage
with ONE Championship, adding a whole new level of intrigue to the upcoming matchup.
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Musumeci hasn’t lost since that night, including his unbeaten six-fight run under the ONE banner
that began in 2022.
The five-time IBJJF World Champion was crowned the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling
World Champion later that year after a dominant decision win over another old foe in Cleber Sousa.
Gabriel Sousa, for his part, is one of the top athletes in the grappling world today.
The Brazilian earned his BJJ black belt back in 2018, and he claimed silver at the prestigious ADCC
World Championships in 2022.