“I was like my authentic self” - Mikey Musumeci on explicit outburst after Gabriel Sousa win at ONE 167
Mikey Musumeci was simply being himself during his viral post-fight interview at ONE 167.
As impressive as Musumeci's victory over longtime rival Gabriel Sousa was, all anyone wants to talk about is his fiery interview with Mitch Chilson immediately after the bout. 'Darth Rigatoni' delivered an expletive-filled rant directed at his opponent who he accused of continuously disrespecting him ever since their first meeting back in 2021.
Addressing the incident during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Musumeci made it clear that in the moment, he wasn't interested in being "fake nice" or politically incorrect—he chose to instead be his authentic selse.
"I kept it real, you know. I just kept it real. Like you get in trouble sometimes for keeping it real, that's why I'm a big fan of you. You don't censor yourself. You just say what it is. So that was one time where I wasn't being fake nice. I was not being politically correct."
He added:
"I just let it out. I curse too much, for sure, so I'm working on not cursing as much. But I was just happy. I was like my authentic self at that moment."
Mikey Musumeci returns at ONE 168: Denver for superfight with Kade Ruotolo
After scoring some redemption against Gabriel Sousa inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Mikey Musumeci will turn his attention toward perhaps the biggest submission grappling match in ONE history.
On Friday, September 6, 'Darth Rigatoni' will move up three weight classes from his post as the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion to challenge the reigning and defending ONE lightweight submission grappling titleholder, Kade Ruotolo.
The match will go down as part of ONE Championship's highly anticipated return to the United States for ONE 168: Denver, emanating from Ball Arena in The Mile High City.
Both Musumeci and Ruotolo will enter the bout with perfect 7-0 records inside the Circle. If 'Darth Rigatoni' comes out on top, not only will he take Ruotolo's 'O,' but he'll also become the first grappler in ONE history to claim two submission grappling belts.
Follow this link for tickets for 168: Denver on September 6 at Ball Arena.