Gabriel Sousa predicts a clash of styles with fellow submission grappling ‘expert’ Mikey Musumeci
ONE Championship newcomer Gabriel Sousa of Brazil is excited to take on ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci in his promotional debut next month. He is expecting the contest to be highly competitive, owing to their contrasting styles.
The 27-year-old Fortaleza native will battle 'Darth Rigatoni' in a bantamweight submission grappling showdown at ONE 167 on June 7.
It is part of the event emanating from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and is available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Gabriel Sousa was among in the wish list of fighters that Musumeci to face, recognizing that the Brazilian is one of the top BJJ athletes right now and to be able to redeem himself after he was submitted by Sousa back in 2021.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Sousa shared his thoughts on his reengagement with Musumeci, highlighting how their contrasting styles, with him more adept at takedowns and passing guard and the American at taking the back and go for footlocks, heel hooks and knee bars, make for an engaging match.
He said:
"He is an expert at what he does and I am an expert at what I do. It will be a great fight."
Gabriel Sousa is one of the highly decorated athletes on the BJJ circuit and holds the distinction at the moment as the last man to submit Musumeci.
At ONE 167, Musumeci will be moving a weight division higher to take on Sousa. He is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak, the last six under ONE Championship.
Gabriel Sousa looking to showcase more evolved skills against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 167
Gabriel Sousa took on and defeated Mikey Musumeci back in 2021 but believes he is an even better athlete now than their first encounter. He is looking to showcase it in their rematch this time in ONE Championship at ONE 167 on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The two will collide in a featured bantamweight submission grappling match. It comes nearly three years since Sousa submitted 'Darth Rigatoni' in an event outside of ONE.
Speaking to ONE Championship in line with his promotional debut, Gabriel Sousa gave his take on his rematch with Musumeci, saying:
"I'm sure he must have trained a lot, watched my fights a lot, and reviewed our fight. But I believe I'm a totally different grappler than when we fought in 2021. I think I'm a more complete athlete today and that will count for a lot."
To help further boost his cause, Sousa is preparing hard to maintain his supremacy over Musumeci, who has been on a impressive roll since joining ONE in 2022.