Chael Sonnen offers his thoughts on the type of fighter that could potentially defeat Mikey Musumeci
After ONE on Prime Video 2, everyone in the combat sports world is talking about Mikey Musumeci and his historic world title victory. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ became the promotion’s inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion following a dominant performance against rival Cleber Sousa.
The five-time IBJJF world champion is now 2-0 inside the circle with impressive back-to-back wins against Masakazu Imanari and the previously mentioned Sousa.
Just days removed from his U.S. primetime performance, fans and fighters are scratching their heads, wondering who exactly can legitimately challenge Mikey Musumeci inside the circle.
One man with an idea is former MMA fighter and current analyst Chael Sonnen. In a video clip uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster’ threw out a potential opponent in ‘The Lion Killer’ Garry Tonon:
“Quite frankly, I don’t know who’s going to beat him. You would need to talk like a Garry Tonon-level guy. And then you’re gonna have to get Garry to fully focus, put MMA aside, put your striking over here Garry, go back and focus because you’re gonna need somebody like that.”
With 72 career wins in grappling competitions, Tonon is a decorated veteran in the sport but has put more focus on mixed martial arts in recent years, winning six straight inside the circle before being stopped in March by then-world champion Thanh Lee.
Watch Sonnen's take in the video below:
Mikey Musumeci on the difference between MMA grapplers and straight grapplers
With ONE Championship being the home of multiple martial arts disciplines, fighters and grapplers are given the unique opportunity to dip their toes into multiple sports under a singular banner. As a result, mixed-rules bouts and matches with MMA fighters testing their skills in grappling competitions are becoming more and more popular.
Mikey Musumeci recently discussed the difference between exclusive grapplers like himself compared to mixed martial artists who have to deal with multiple forms of combat sports.
“MMA fighters have to focus on the variable of getting punched. So they have a different element that they have to focus on. So I feel like they have to be a little more technical in some ways with their framing and stuff and getting punched, but then they have to not focus on other things that jiu-jitsu people focus on. I just feel like it's a little different in some variables like that.”