“I just wanted to shut him up” - Mikey Musumeci felt great after putting bitter rival Gabriel Sousa in his place
ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is always proud and happy for every victory he notches. His last fight, however, proved to be more gratifying for him as the contest took a personal turn.
'Darth Rigatoni' defeated longtime rival Gabriel Sousa of Brazil by way of submission in their rematch back in June. The win was a payback for the loss the American absorbed at the hands of the Fortaleza native at an event outside of ONE Championship in 2021.
In the lead-up to their bantamweight submission grappling clash, Mikey Musumeci said Sousa was all over his case for losing to him in their first encounter, even uttering words he did not appreciate. It served as further motivation for him in their rematch.
In a recent interview with Cageside Press, the 28-year-old New Jersey native spoke about his mindset for his rematch with Sousa and what he felt following the victory, saying:
"Just let me go up. So then they let me go up to 145 [pounds] and we did the match. And yeah, it just felt so good because I knew my level, I knew I could kill him, and I just wanted to shut him up, and I put him in this place. Then he played victim after [saying] I bullied him, he did nothing. Like, of course, but it's just frustrating. But it is what it is. We got him back, so I'm happy."
Check out what he had to say below:
In his rematch with Sousa, Mikey Musumeci was dominant, notwithstanding he had to fight outside of his traditional lane of flyweight.
He was on top things right from the get-go, which he punctuated with a nasty calf slicer that forced his opponent to tap out in submission at the 3:07 mark of their scheduled 10-minute joust.
Mikey Musumeci shoots for double ONE world champion status at ONE 168
Following a gratifying payback win in his last fight, Mikey Musumeci goes for another world title when he returns to action next month in the United States.
The ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion will challenge for the lightweight belt against reigning divisional king Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado.
It will be the co-headliner of the event happening at the Ball Arena and airing live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Mikey Musumeci recognizes that it is not going to be an easy task going up against a bigger and an equally topnotch grappler like Ruotolo, but he is undeterred by it, confident that he can handle the situation and come with a win.
Meanwhile, out to quash Musumeci's double ONE world champion hopes at ONE 168 is Ruotolo, who is defending the lightweight submissiom grappling world title for the fourth time.
Tickets for ONE 168 are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.