“You can prepare for what could happen” - Gabriel Sousa gives an insight into his training camp for Mikey Musumeci
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gabriel Sousa is leaving no stone unturned for his upcoming ONE Championship debut next month against familiar foe Mikey Musumeci.
The 27-year-old multiple-time BJJ champion will take 'Darth Rigatoni' in a bantamweight submission grappling showdown at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand.
It is a rematch of their first encounter in September 2021 outside of ONE, where Gabriel Sousa won by submission. It is something he wants a repeat of when they mix it up once again.
Speaking on Vitor Freitas Comunica on YouTube in an interview, the Fortaleza, Brazil native shared how his preparation has been like for his ONE debut, saying:
"It's impossible to say exactly what will happen in a fight, but you can prepare for what could happen. So, doing a lot of specific training and drills with resistance, not just explosion, very technical, for these heel hook situations, both heel hooks attacking from the inside and attacking from the outside, helps a lot."
Watch the interview below:
For his showdown with Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167, Musumeci, who is the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion and undefeated is six matches to date in the promotion, will be going up a weight division higher.
ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut will emanate from the Impact Arena in Bangkok and will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Gabriel Sousa expects a different atmosphere in rematch with Mikey Musumeci
Gabriel Sousa is expecting a different atmosphere when he reengages with Mikey Musumeci in their submission grappling joust at ONE 167 on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The two first met in September 2021 in an event outside of ONE Championship, with the decorated Brazilian fighter winning by submission.
For their scheduled rematch next month, Sousa said it is going to be a different experience for him as it will be played on a global platform provided by the Home of Martial Arts.
He shared this in an interview with the promotion, saying:
"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."
Apart from continuing to have the number of Musumeci in their head-to-head matchup, Gabriel Sousa is out to deal 'Darth Rigatoni' his first defeat in ONE Championship at ONE 167.