"That definitely made me a finisher" - Submission savant Mikey Musumeci shares where his killer instinct comes from
Mikey Musumeci has long been considered to be one of the best grapplers in the world, pound-for-pound. He has achieved so much in his career and, at 28 years old, is still competing at the very highest level.
One of the aspects of his game that separates the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion from others is his ability to secure the tap. Musumeci's grappling IQ is so high that he's always working multiple steps ahead of his opponent to find the finish and close the show early.
Just two of his matches under the ONE banner, when he faced Cleber Sousa and Gantumur Bayanduuren in back-to-back encounters, have gone the full-time limit.
He's currently on a run of four consecutive finishes with some highly impressive victories over the likes of Gabriel Sousa and Osamah Almarwai. In a recent interview with Cageside Press, Musumeci spoke about how his mentality is what makes him such a dangerous submission threat:
"I really believe that you lose if you don't finish the fight, you finish the match. So I feel like that definitely made me a finisher."
Watch the full interview below:
Mikey Musumeci is a fierce competitor at all times
Mikey Musumeci may appear differently in person but when he steps onto the mats to compete, he's coming to win at all costs. His dedication and hunger cannot be questioned and this is once again the case ahead of his ONE Championship return.
The flyweight champ will be moving up several weight classes in order to make a grappling super-fight happen in the co-main event of ONE 168.
He will challenge for Kade Ruotolo's lightweight title at the Ball Arena on September 6 in yet another opportunity to show what he is made of.
As always, whether he's the underdog or not, Musumeci will chase the finish.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.