“Dawg Mikey” - Mikey Musumeci tries to channel his intimidating self ahead of matchup against Gabriel Sousa
Mikey Musumeci, the current undisputed ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, is trying something new ahead of his return to action.
Musumeci is booked to face Gabriel Sousa in a bantamweight submission grappling match on June 7 as part of the stacked ONE 167 card that goes down inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
In a recent Instagram post published by ONE Championship, 'Darth Rigatoni' is doing away with his good persona as he prepares to face his former tormentor.
The world's largest martial arts organization captioned:
"Four weeks out 🗓 Will 'Darth Rigatoni' continue his winning streak against Gabriel Sousa in the bantamweight submission grappling match at ONE 167 on @primevideo? @mikeymusumeci"
In the photo, the 27-year-old American was not flashing the usual smile on his face. By doing so, he is looking to send a chilling message to Sousa that he will be going for revenge and tie their head-to-head matchup to one apiece.
Previously, the 27-year-old BJJ black belt defeated Musumeci in their first meeting in 2021 through a rare submission technique, which became his ticket to stardom in the combat sports community.
Mikey Musumeci will challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE 168: Denver
Aside from his preparation to avenge his loss to Sousa, Musumeci is also preparing for another gigantic clash on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver.
There, he will gun for history and become the first two-division submission grappling world champion in ONE Championship.
The Evolve MMA representative will be jumping two weight divisions higher to challenge Kade Ruotolo for his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title. Their exciting showdown is only one of the three championship fights that will be featured on the American card.
ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America in U.S. primetime on June 7. The card will emanate inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE 168 goes down at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Tickets for the event are now available at Ticketmaster.