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Three months after becoming the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, Mikey Musumeci was immediately tasked with defending his 26-pound gold against Gantumur Bayanduuren in January 2023 at ONE Fight Night 6.
ONE Championship posted the full fight replay of this exciting clash between Musumeci and Bayanduuren at the Impact Arena in Bangkok:
"The ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title showdown between defending king Mikey Musumeci and Mongolian warrior Gantumur Bayanduuren at ONE Fight Night 6 - proudly presented by @TumiTravel"
See the full fight below:
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Two minutes into the match, 'Darth Rigatoni' caught his Mongolian challenger in a tight heel hook lock that made him wince in pain. Musumeci continued to crank on that leg of Bayanduuren for over six minutes, but he failed to make him tap.
Hearing multiple pops and with tired hands, the 27-year-old American superstar let go of the lock with 90 seconds remaining into the match to transition to other submission attempts, such as the guillotine, calf slicer, and rear-naked choke. However, in the end, Bayanduuren still survived to see the final bell.
After the grueling battle, Musumeci got away with a dominant unanimous decision victory to secure his first successful defense of the flyweight submission grappling crown.
Mikey Musumeci to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world title at ONE 168: Denver
Since this triumph over the 27-year-old Mongolian, Musumeci has added four more victories to his record, which were against Osamah Almarwai, Jarred Brooks, Shinya Aoki, and Gabriel Sousa.
With seemingly no challenger left for him in his weight class, the Evolve MMA representative will move up a few weight classes to the lightweight division and challenge Kade Ruotolo for his ONE lightweight submission grappling world title on Sept. 6 at ONE 168: Denver in front of their home fans at the Ball Arena in Colorado.
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.
