WATCH: Mikey Musumeci channels the dark side of the Force in vicious submission of old nemesis Gabriel Sousa
The usual friendly persona of current ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci went out of the window when he fought Gabriel Sousa in a bantamweight submission grappling contest in June 2024 at ONE 167.
Musumeci tapped his vicious and relentless side to avenge his loss to the Brazilian with a calf slicer submission to remain unbeaten in the world's largest martial arts organization.
'Darth Rigatoni's' post-fight interview and the winning moment were relived by the promotion on Instagram recently, and they captioned the video with:
"Don't underestimate "Darth Rigatoni" 😠Will Mikey Musumeci add another divisional crown to his collection when he challenges Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE 168: Denver? @mikeymusumeci"
The 28-year-old American added Sousa to his pile of victims, which already included Masakazu Imanari, Cleber Sousa, Gantumur Bayanduuren, Osamah Almarwai, Jarred Brooks, and Shinya Aoki.
Furthermore, Musumeci silenced all the haters and doubters who claimed he couldn't beat his former tormentor.
Sousa beat Musumeci when they squared off at Who's Number One in 2021.
Mikey Musumeci moves up two weight divisions to challenge Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver
Now that full momentum is on his side, the Evolve MMA representative is looking to make history on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver and become the first-ever two-division submission grappling world champion in ONE Championship.
Musumeci will move up in the lightweight division to challenge Kade Ruotolo for his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at the Ball Arena in Colorado and determine the best pound-for-pound submission artist in the world today.
Additionally, both Musumeci and Ruotolo are fighting to keep their perfect records intact, as they boast the same win-loss card of 7-0 under the promotion.
ONE 168: Denver will air live from the Ball Arena in U.S. primetime on Sept. 6. Tickets for the event are available on Ticketmaster.