“I taught him a lesson of humility” - Mikey Musumeci endured a year-long rivalry to shut Gabriel Sousa down

Mikey Musumeci exacted payback on Brazilian rival Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on June 7 in Bangkok, Thailand. He won by submission in their bantamweight grappling showdown.

The win redeemed Musumeci from the defeat he suffered at the hands of the Fortaleza native nearly three years ago in an event outside of ONE Championship.

In the lead-up to their rematch, however, Sousa had some choice words for the American grappling ace, which the latter took note of and vowed to make his opponent pay for.

In an interview with The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Mikey Musumeci shared how he took his rematch with Sousa personally and how it served as added motivation for him.

The reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion said:

"That's why I was very amped up and pissed, because every time I was winning matches, he always had to comment. So I shut him up and I taught him a lesson of humility. So we're all learning and getting better."

Watch the interview below:

At ONE 167, Mikey Musumeci was locked in right from the openig bell. He was able to catch Sousa with a nifty calf slicer early, eventually leading to the finish.

His opponent tried to escape from his hold by laying back and fishing for a toe hold, but was unsuccessful. Musumeci then moved for the finish, securing the calf slicer he was employing and forcing Sousa to tap out with a little over three minutes into their 10-rounder.

The win extended Musumeci's undefeated run in ONE Championship to seven in a row.

Mikey Musumeci faces fellow ONE champion Kade Ruotolo next

Now that his chapter over Gabriel Sousa is over and done with, Mikey Musumeci will channel his focus towards his upcoming title clash against fellow ONE world champion Kade Ruotolo in Spetember.

The flyweight submission grappling wolrd champion will climb up in weight to challenge lightweight king Ruotolo at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. on Sept. 6. It is one of the already confirmed title fights on offer as part of ONE Championship's second live, on-ground event in the United States.

Mikey Musumeci said taking on Ruotolo is something he has been eyeing for some time now, in line with his push of continuously challenging himself as a fighter.

The title showdown will mark the fourth title defense of Ruotolo after becoming ONE lightweight submission grappling main man in October 2022.