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Mikey Musumeci wants his upcoming opponent, Gabriel Sousa, to match his aggression at ONE 167.
On Friday, Musumeci, the ONE flyweight submission grappling champion, plans to extend his promotional record to 7-0. The American superstar will have added motivation to emerge victorious in the non-title bantamweight bout, as he has an opportunity to avenge a defeat at a FloGrappling event in 2021.
Sousa is confident he will defeat Musumeci in his promotional debut and will likely come out aggressive. 'Darth Rigatoni' has encouraged the Brazilian to maintain his kill-or-be-killed style, which he explained during an interview with ONE:
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"He's aggressive. I want him to be aggressive. I want him to come at me, and I'm gonna come at him."
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ONE 167 will take place inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The June 7 event featuring Mikey Musumeci vs. Gabriel Sousa can be watched live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Is Gabriel Sousa the toughest opponent Mikey Musumeci has faced in ONE Championship?
Mikey Musumeci has established an impressive ONE Championship resume featuring Masakazu Imanari, Shinya Aoki, and Jarred Brooks.
That said, the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion has a statement to make against Gabriel Sousa at Friday's ONE 167.
At 27 years old, Sousa has secured gold in several high-profile tournaments, including the IBJJF European Open, AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro, and ACBJJ World. Considering he holds a win against Musumeci, it's fair to say 'Darth Rigatoni' is facing his toughest promotional challenge thus far.
With a win against Sousa, Musumeci would further his status as one of the most respected submission grapplers on the planet. Furthermore, the American superstar would avenge an important defeat before returning to defend his ONE flyweight world title later this year.
Watch the fight-ending sequence of Musumeci's latest win against Shinya Aoki below:
