“He’s technically developed more” - Mikey Musumeci expects to be up against a ‘way better’ Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is up against a familiar opponent in his scheduled return to action next week, but someone he believes is an even bigger threat now than the first time they met.

'Darth Rigatoni' will battle ONE Championship-debuting Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs Nattawut on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, in a 10-minute bantamweight submission grappling joust.

It is a rematch of their first encounter in September 2021 outside of ONE, where Sousa sprung up a surprise by submitting Musumeci even though he came in as a late-replacement opponent.

In an interview with Jits Magazine, Mikey Musumeci shared his thoughts on his upcoming rematch with Sousa, including how the Brazilian fighter has improved since their first showdown, saying:

"Gabriel is way better now too since we've both had a lot of year, so he's technically developed more and I've technically developed more so I'm just so excited now to see where I'm at progress-wise."

Mikey Musumeci bounced back well since losing to Sousa nearly three years ago, winning nine straight, the last six under ONE Championship. Along the way he claimed the ONE flyweight submission grappling gold.

He was last in action back in October when he defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki by submission in their openweight grappling clash.

ONE 167 will be available live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Gabriel Sousa impressed with Mikey Musumeci's undefeated run in ONE Championship

BJJ ace Gabriel Sousa is impressed with Musumeci's undefeated run so far of under ONE Championship banners. It is something he is taking into consideration ahead of their June 7 clash at ONE 167 in Thailand.

The 27-year-old ZR Team standout runs it back with 'Darth Rigatoni' in a bantamweight submission grappling clash, nearly three years since they mixed it up outside of ONE and Sousa won by submission.

In an interview with El Estudio De Leo on YouTube, Sousa shared that he has been following the career of Musumeci since their first encounter, and has been impressed with how he has turned things around after the loss, including winning six straight in ONE Championship.

The Brazilian fighter said:

"We've been wathcing what he's been doing. I think he probably has like six matches already in ONE Championship and most of his wins have come from entanglements. And from there, he gets the legs. He's looked really sharp in his fights here."

Sousa has won his last four fights heading into ONE 167 while Mikey Musumeci is going a division higher in trying to see his payback push through.