"I've seen a lot of people hurt their knee" - Gabriel Sousa gets candid about Mikey Musumeci's devastating heel hooks
Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Gabriel Sousa understands the perils of facing Mikey Musumeci at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut II on Prime Video.
A split-second mistake against 'Darth Rigatoni', after all, can lead to disastrous consequences to his limbs, particularly his knee.
On June 7, Sousa will make his promotional debut against one of the most technical leg-lockers in the game today at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ahead of his much-awaited grappling war with Musumeci, Sousa acknowledged how dangerous the flyweight submission grappling world champion can be with his leg-lock entries.
Moreover, he already has a plan in place in case he gets caught in one of Musumeci's death traps.
The 27-year-old said in an interview on Vitor Freitas Comunica's YouTube channel:
"The most important thing is to understand the heel hook. To know how I'm going to turn and how I'm going to be less exposed. I've seen a lot of people hurt their knee because they thought they were turning it the right way, when in fact, it was helping the knee twist and hurting themselves."
Sousa continued:
"So I believe that having a comprehensive knowledge of the heel hook game makes a big difference."
Watch the full interview:
Meanwhile, Mikey Musumeci has wreaked havoc on his opponents' limbs in ONE.
His match with Gantumur Bayunduuren is the perfect example of how much damage 'Darth Rigatoni' can inflict.
Gabriel Sousa has already survived Mikey Musumeci's leg attacks before
Despite facing one of the greatest grapplers in the world today, Gabriel Sousa will enter this match with the mental edge.
The Brazilian was the last person to submit Mikey Musumeci when they first crossed paths back in 2021.
But before Sousa could get the tap via north-south-choke, he first had to get past Musumeci's tricky guard and endless leg entanglements.
The Essential Jiu-Jitsu standout has done it before, and he is confident he can get the job done again at ONE 167.
This stacked card will air live on US Primetime, free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.