"I want them to feel what I had to feel" - Mikey Musumeci has no remorse for vulgar post-fight speech at 'bully' Gabriel Sousa

Mikey Musumeci couldn't have been more pleased to shut Gabriel Sousa up with a statement display at ONE 167.

Per the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion's post-fight speech inside the Circle, his Brazilian nemesis had long been gloating about his north-south choke win over 'Darth Rigatoni' in 2021 to the entire Brazilian jiu-jitsu community.

He even took it too far, involving other individuals throughout his boastful talk about being able to tap one of the best submission specialists today.

That, of course, did not sit well with Mikey Musumeci, who appeared to be involved with minimal pre-fight interviews and media sessions ahead of their rematch inside the Impact Arena on June 7.

In turn, the world witnessed one of the most disciplined performances from the New Jersey native, who held nothing back against the ONE newcomer.

Armed with revenge, the Evolve MMA athlete needed just three minutes to draw a tap from Sousa via a menacing calf slicer submission, and he had a pretty iconic post-fight speech to go with arguably one of his best displays on the global stage.

Referring to his post-fight speech, or rant as some would have it, Mikey Musumeci told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:

"I had a hard childhood in a lot of ways. So it just brings out little Mikey that wants to defend himself. It's a painful part of me, it's a traumatic response. So when you see me like that, it's like a traumatic response from when I was a kid."

"So that's why I responded so passionately, right? And I don't really feel remorse or empathy when I do that to the person that I feel upsets me or bullying me, because they deserve it, and I want them to feel what I had to feel in my life."

Watch the full interview here:

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Mikey Musumeci has another massive tie on the horizon

Mikey Musumeci continues to grow from strength to strength with each passing display on the global stage.

And he is more than ready to dive back into another massive world title tilt when ONE Championship returns to North America with ONE 168: Denver on September 6.

That evening, 'Darth Rigatoni' moves up three divisions in an attempt to become the promotion's first two-division world champion in submission grappling.

The 27-year-old faces Kade Ruotolo with the latter's lightweight gold on the line inside the Ball Arena.

Fans eager to be a part of another historic night in ONE Championship can purchase their tickets for the spectacle here.