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Mikey Musumeci has been chasing down his upcoming contest for some time, ever since he arrived in ONE Championship.
During his time as the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, 'Darth Rigatoni' has been pushing for one specific contest.
Three years ago, he suffered his last defeat to Gabriel Sousa, where he was submitted with several minutes left on the clock.
One of the biggest obstacles in the way of a rematch was the weight difference between the two but this is no longer an issue.
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At ONE 167 on June 7 at the Impact Arena, Musumeci will be leaving flyweight behind for the time being in order to move up to bantamweight.
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In a recent interview with Jits Magazine, the flyweight champion spoke about his transition up a weight class:
"I'm more like when I did the (IBJJF European Championship) at openweight, when I beat that 400lbs guy. I was a lot stronger and bigger physically at that time, because I was doing more light-featherweight. So I got myself a little heavier, more like Mikey when he's light-featherweight instead of Mikey when he's roosterweight."
Mikey Musumeci is no stranger to competing at different weights
As he said himself in the interview, Mikey Musumeci has got plenty of experience competing at different weights or against heavier opponents.
The skill of 'Darth Rigatoni' is always the defining factor in any of his contests and he's never been the type of competitor to rely on physical strength and explosiveness when grappling.
His mind is his best attribute and that's something that Gabriel Sousa will find difficult to prepare for even if he did beat him three years ago.
Musumeci is out to right the wrongs of their last encounter and to do that, he's putting on some weight.
Say goodbye to flyweight 'Darth Rigatoni' ahead of his bantamweight debut.
ONE 167 will air live on June 7 at US prime time, free of charge for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.
