“This is not the same Mikey” - ‘Darth Rigatoni’ believes he’s leveled up in time for Gabriel Sousa rematch
Current ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci plans to deploy a brand new strategy for his highly anticipated return against Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167. Three years after their first meeting under the Who's Number One banner, Musumeci will run it back with Brazilian sensation this Friday, June 7, inside the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
In their first meeting, Gabriel Sousa landed a slick north-south choke against the New Jersey native, forcing Musumeci to tap out.
Determined to even the series, 'Darth Rigatoni' will be bringing something new and unexpected when he steps back on martial arts' biggest stage against the debuting Brazilian:
"So this is not the same Mikey that usually competes," he said in an interview with ONE. "I’m gonna bring a different strategy for this fight."
Stepping up to bantamweight, Musumeci will leave his 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold at home, but he will put his 'O' on the line as he enters the contest with a picture-perfect 6-0 record in ONE.
Gabriel Sousa is undeniably impressed with Mikey Musumeci's ONE Championship run
Though he holds a victory over Musumeci, Gabriel Sousa recognizes that the 'Darth Rigatoni' he's facing at ONE 167 will be vastly different from the one he tussled with in September 2021:
"We've been watching what he's been doing," Sousa told El Estudio De Leo. "I think he probably has like six matches already in ONE Championship and most of his wins have come from entanglements. And from there, he gets the legs. He's looked really sharp in his fights here."
With 126 career wins to his credit, Sousa will be one of the most experienced grapplers Musumeci has ever squared off with in ONE. Will that advantage be the key to the Brazilian going two-up on Musumeci, or will the flyweight champ score some redemption and even the series?
ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 167 live and for free via Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.