Chatri Sityodyong optimistic that Mikey Musumeci vs. Demetrious Johnson will put more eyes on submission grappling
Following his historic win at ONE on Prime Video 2, Mikey Musumeci is aiming high for his third appearance inside the circle. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ made history by becoming ONE Championship’s first-ever submission grappling world champion by defeating Cleber Sousa via decision. Now, the New Jersey native is currently lobbying for a submission grappling showdown with ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson.
Following his win on Friday night, Musumeci spoke about a potential meeting with ‘Mighty Mouse’ as a way to help expose more combat sports fans to the world of jiu-jitsu.
“Right now, my dream matchup would be with Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson. Just because of the number of eyes we could get on submission grappling with me and such a legend like him.”
Fans and fighters appeared to be in favor of the match-up, including the ONE CEO himself, Chatri Sityodtong, who shared Mikey Musumeci’s enthusiasm for bringing the two sports together. During an interview with South China Morning Post, he was asked if he thought the blockbuster pairing would help grow BJJ as a sport. Sityodtong answered:
“Yes, in the same way that Rodtang and DJ blew up Muay Thai all over the world, and obviously in this region of the world blew up MMA as well. With our platform, with all the different martial arts, we’re able to bring all the different communities together, and then they can enjoy each other’s arts. And that’s something that we’re seeing.”
Is Mikey Musumeci next for Demetrious Johnson or could his first ONE world title defense be on the horizon?
In August, Demetrious Johnson delivered one of the best performances of his career, knocking out former ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes with a fourth-round flying knee to capture his first piece of ONE Championship gold. Though it's only been a little over a month since the epic showdown, fans are eager to know what’s next for 'DJ'.
While a submission grappling match with Mikey Musumeci sounds like a whole lot of fun, Johnson also has the duty of defending his flyweight crown. There appears to be two clear options that could be next for the pound-for-pound great. The most obvious is a trilogy bout with Adriano Moraes. Each man holds a knockout victory over the other, setting the stage for an epic winner-take-all megafight.
The next option would be a fresh match-up against ‘The Kazakh’ Kairat Akhmetov. Winner of five straight bouts inside the circle, the former flyweight king’s run gives a strong case for a world title challenge. He is the No.2-ranked contender in the division, with victories over top contenders Danny Kingad and Reece McLaren. ‘The Kazakh’ also carries the distinction of handing Adriano Moraes one of the few losses in his professional career.
Should Mikey Musumeci get his wish and roll with Demetrious Johnson inside the circle, or would you prefer to see ‘Mighty Mouse’ defend his ONE world title first?