Mikey Musumeci says rematch with Gabriel Sousa will go down to who improved more: "I believe I did"
After evaluating his skillsets, submission specialist Mikey Musumeci is certain he has improved far more than Gabriel Sousa has in the last three years.
'Darth Rigatoni' is ready to settle an old score with his rival in a bantamweight rematch at ONE 167 in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, June 7.
As you know, the American superstar has competed in multiple divisions against the best grapplers in the world. But his most recent loss at the 155 lbs weight category against Sousa in 2021, continues to still haunt him.
So over the past few months, Musumeci has been working towards getting better and better at his craft. After doing everything he could to train at a higher level, the flyweight king is confident that Sousa will have a tough time beating him a second time.
Speaking to ONE ahead of his rematch, Musumeci said:
"So now it's like the question is, did I improve enough to win this match? And I believe I did."
ONE 167 will air live in US Primetime on June 7, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
"Let's see how it goes this time" - Brazilian rival Gabriel Sousa is looking forward to a high level chess match with Mikey Musumeci
Jiu-jitsu ace Gabriel Sousa has also shared his thoughts about his anticipated rematch against Mikey Musumeci ahead of their bantamweight clash at ONE 167.
As the last fighter to beat Musumeci in recent years, there's genuine interest in Gabriel Sousa and how he managed to submit the champion with one of the most uncomfortable positions in BJJ - the North-South choke.
Besides how he did it, Sousa knows that he won't be facing the same Musumeci that he did three years ago. The same could be said about Sousa's evolution in jiu-jitsu. At the end of the day, they will both do whatever it takes to deserve the win.
As Sousa told ONE recently:
"If I could choose an outcome, of course, I would like to pass his guard and submit him on his back. But, again, we are two very high-level athletes. Let's see how it goes this time."