Chatri Sityodtong shares his excitement for potential Demetrious Johnson vs. Mikey Musumeci superfight
Mikey Musumeci will take part in ONE Championship history this Friday at ONE on Prime Video 2. The submission grappling superstar will meet Cleber Sousa to crown the promotion’s first-ever submission grappling world champion.
While ‘Darth Rigatoni’ is just hours away from the biggest match of his career, the New Jersey native is already looking ahead to a potential contest with another ONE world champion. During his appearance at the ONE on Prime Video 2 press conference, Mikey Musumeci shared his interest in facing flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson in a submission grappling superfight.
When asked about a potential mixed-rules bout with Johnson, Musumeci shared that he doesn’t do “any stand-up.” That’s when ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong chimed in to reveal that ‘Darth Rigatoni’ is proficient in striking with seven years of experience in Muay Thai.
“Actually Mikey is being modest. He’s done seven years of Muay Thai. People don’t realize he’s also a very proficient in striking - he just happens to be significantly better in jiu-jitsu. Who knows, we may do a mixed [rules] match, we may do a straight grappling match, I think DJ’s game [for it].”
Sityodtong believes that a clash between Demetrious Johnson and Mikey Musumeci would certainly be a great match considering how they are both students of the fight game. He continued:
“Just look at [Johnson] technically, if you look at his transitions, striking, cage work, his balance, explosiveness, his fight IQ… he’s the greatest. I would love to see Mikey and DJ go at it because Mikey’s IQ is off the charts when it comes to grappling. I would say pound-for-pound, he is the single greatest grappler on the planet today.”
Mikey Musumeci shares his thoughts on “tough” ONE on Prime Video 2 opponent Cleber Sousa
When Mikey Musumeci steps into the circle, he will meet a familiar foe in Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Cleber Sousa.
The two met on two separate occasions more than five years ago as part of the 2017 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the 2017 Abu Dhabi World Pro. Sousa scored a victory in the first meeting via decision, while Musumeci took the second contest on points.
The two will meet once again in a trilogy bout of sorts with ONE gold on the line. Ahead of their ONE on Prime Video 2 clash, Musumeci spoke to ONE Championship about his opponent, saying:
“He’s a tough guy, just a really tough, solid guy. Like, he’s one of those guys who’s really hard to do things to. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing to him – he’s just solid and tough. And he doesn’t give up, he pushes forward, he pushes the pace, he tries to break you mentally.”