Mikey Musumeci Vs. Gabriel Sousa Booked For Bantamweight Submission Grappling Match At ONE 167
Another intriguing battle has been added to ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Prime Video at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci will move up to bantamweight and aim for revenge against promotional newcomer Gabriel Sousa in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 7.
Musumeci entered the world’s largest martial arts organization as one of the most accomplished American-born BJJ athletes in history.
With five IBJJF World Championships to his credit in both gi and no-gi, “Darth Rigatoni” already owned an incredible resume, but he’s climbed even higher with his performances in ONE.
The 27-year-old has posted a 6-0 record in the promotion, including four submissions and three World Title defenses, all while winning himself legions of new supporters for his likable persona outside of competition.
Following his last win in an openweight clash against MMA legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki last October, Musumeci revealed there were two names in his sights – and Sousa was one of them.
For his part, the Brazilian is one of the top athletes in the sport.
Like “Darth Rigatoni,” Sousa moved from success in BJJ to elite-level submission grappling competitions, earning a silver medal at the prestigious ADCC World Championships in 2022.
However, the real interest comes from Sousa’s win over Musumeci back in 2021. The Fortaleza native was an outsider in their match, but he shocked the world with an extremely rare submission win via choke, instantly thrusting his name among the sport’s top competitors.
Musumeci hasn’t lost since that match, winning his last 14 outings. Now, “Darth Rigatoni” will be motivated to get redemption against his old foe on June 7.
ONE 167 is headlined by a pair of World Title matches, with Stamp Fairtex defending her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga, and Tawanchai PK Saenchai putting his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title on the line against “Smokin” Jo Nattawut.
