"These are my side quests" - Mikey Musumeci determined to see his progress going up to bantamweight against Gabriel Sousa
ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is determined to see how much progress he's made as a bantamweight to fight old rival Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167.
The American standout continues to go beyond his normal limits by challenging dangerous submission artists in heavier weight classes.
This time, against Gabriel Sousa, Musumeci looks to settle the score with the Brazilian phenom in a bantamweight grappling bout, to avenge his 2021 defeat at Who's Number One.
After having more than a month to train for this upcoming duel, Musumeci feels like he's ready to showcase three years' worth of improvements to his game.
Speaking to the fans, 'Darth Rigatoni' posted the following comment:
"It's been about 8 years since I lost a match in my divisions 125 and 135 (never lost a match in 125) but yes, this is my most recent loss at 155 lbs. How many other athletes in jiu-jitsu doing 4 different divisions against the best guys?"
He continued to add:
"These are my side quests going up to face the best people in heavier divisions and I'm so excited. It makes me improve so much for my division when I do this!!! thank you everyone for the support I worked really hard for his match and I'm so excited to see my progress."
ONE 167 will take place inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 7. The entire card is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Gabriel Sousa anticipates a higher level of grappling against former rival Mikey Musumeci at ONE 167
Jiu-jitsu blackbelt Gabriel Sousa expects a higher level of grappling match against Mikey Musumeci in their rematch this June.
Like Musumeci, Sousa has a very long list of accolades at the international competitive circuit. He has won multiple medals at the IBJJF level along the years as well as earning second place at the prestigious ADCC World Championships in 2022.
Despite claiming a submission victory over 'Darth Rigatoni' in a grappling contest in 2021, Sousa knows that fighting under the bright lights of ONE Championship raises the stakes even higher.
Speaking to ONE ahead of his debut fight at ONE 167, the 27-year-old slugger said:
"It's going to be very different. It will be on the ONE platform, something much bigger with a much larger audience and a much better structure."