Mikey Musumeci praises Shinya Aoki for his ultra-aggressive grappling style: “He just tries to smash you”

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is a big fan of Shinya Aoki’s no-nonsense approach when it comes to grappling.

The former ONE featherweight MMA world champion, after all, has never been one to chase points or stall just to gain an advantage. Every single move that Aoki makes comes with methodical precision and evil intent to either choke out an opponent or possibly break his limb.

Shinya Aoki’s high-wire style enticed Mikey Musumeci to accept an openweight grappling-exclusive showdown against the Japanese legend this Friday, at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ had nothing but praises for his upcoming opponent during his OFN15 pre-event interview with the South China Morning Post:

“Shinya, he doesn't back away. He doesn't kick out at things in disengage. His whole game is just forward and he just tries to smash you and pressure you. He doesn't back up.

He's just gonna come straight into me and just pressure me and try to fold me. So I respect that about him. I think that that's way more fun for me as well.”

Watch the full interview here:

The mere mention of Shinya Aoki’s name does strike fear in the MMA and BJJ scene.

Known as ‘Tobikan Judan’ or ‘The Grand Master of Flying Submissions’, the 40-year-old icon holds the reputation as one of the nastiest submission specialists in combat sports.

The Evolve MMA standout has every stranglehold and joint lock in his arsenal, with 30 of his 47 career wins coming by way of submission.

Apart from dealing with Aoki’s brilliance, Musumeci will also be giving up a significant amount of weight in this epic ground battle.

The five-time IBJJF World Champion, though, wouldn’t have it any other way and embraces a challenger who will hunt for the finish as much as he does.

ONE Fight Night 15 will emanate from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on October 6. Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch this spectacle live on US Primetime for free.