"I don't feel any pressure" - Gabriel Sousa "confident" he'll have Mikey Musumeci's number when they run it back on June 7
Gabriel Sousa could be in for a baptism of fire when he runs it back against Mikey Musumeci at ONE 167 but he remains confident that he'll be able to pass his promotional bow with another sensational win over 'Darth Rigatoni.'
The BJJ black belt athletes cross paths inside Bangkok's Impact Arena on June 7, almost three years since they locked horns at a WNO event where Sousa bagged a north-south choke submission over the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion.
Musumeci has long been calling for a chance at redemption against the Lucas Rocha BJJ black belt athlete. Now that he is only weeks out from his rematch, the American grappler is ready to level their rivalry to one apiece.
However, Sousa isn't buying any of his rival's theories. The 27-year-old envisions himself closing out his ONE Championship debut with another statement against the man dubbed one of the finest BJJ athletes of the current generation.
In a short session with Vitor Freitas Comunica, Gabriel Sousa pointed out:
"I'm very confident about this fight. I don't feel any pressure, I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I [already] beat him. I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to do my job well."
Watch the full interview here:
Musumeci's submission grappling gold will not be on the line inside the Thai capital city as their hotly anticipated rematch will go down in the bantamweight division.
Gabriel Sousa expects Musumeci to pull guard come ONE 167
Gabriel Sousa was forced to find openings from the top as 'Darth Rigatoni' attacked from his back with a variety of leg and arm locks during their clash in Sept. 2021.
And he expects the exact scenario to unfold when they renew their rivalry on the grandest stage of martial arts early next month. In a previous interview with ONE Championship, the multi-time IBJJF world champion shared:
"I believe Mikey will pull guard. He won't trade takedowns with me."
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 167 card live and for free in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.