Demetrious Johnson on Mikey Musumeci vs Shinya Aoki: “Mikey beat a lot of these MMA guys up lately”
ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson is curious to see how things play out when submission sensation Mikey Musumeci returns for a grappling clash with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki.
ONE Fight Night 15: Tawanchai vs. Superbon on Prime Video is shaping up to be another can’t-miss night of fights with a series of massive ONE world title clashes. The event will also feature a submission superfight pitting reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci against former ONE lightweight titleholder Shinya Aoki in an openweight submission showdown.
Speaking about Musumeci’s return to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on October 6, pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson suggested that Aoki may struggle given the fact that his skill set is more geared toward mixed martial arts. Not to mention Musumeci’s penchant for finishing MMA fighters in submission scraps.
“It would be interesting because I feel Aoki's background is more catered to mixed martial arts. And you see Mikey beat a lot of these MMA guys up lately. He beat up. He just submitted Jared Brooks.”
Mikey Musumeci finished ONE strawweight champion Jarred Brooks with a triangle choke/armlock at ONE Fight Night 13 on August 4. Prior to that, he also earned notable wins over another Japanese BJJ icon and MMA fighter, Masakazu Imanari in his promotional debut.
‘Darth Rigaton’ also secured a big win over Combat Sambo world champion Gantumur Bayanduuren in January, showing that Musumeci can hang with combat sports specialists of every type.
Will Musumeci add another win to his undefeated record in ONE Championship, or will Shinya Aoki shock the world and secure one of the biggest wins of his illustrious career?
Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 15 live and for free in U.S. primetime on October 6.