"Many people asked for this fight" - Gabriel Sousa guarantees fireworks in Mikey Musumeci rematch at ONE 167

Gabriel Sousa hopes to double his rivalry against Mikey Musumeci when the two square off on June 7. Almost three years since their first encounter in Austin, Texas, the pair are set to slug it out on the canvas in a bantamweight submission grappling fixture at ONE 167 inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

In their first duel, the Brazilian forced a tap from the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion via a north-south choke after finding a loophole around 'Darth Rigatoni's' menacing guard game.

While he would love to repeat history and claim a victory in his debut, for now, Gabriel Sousa remains grateful that their rematch will go down under ONE Championship's exciting submission-grappling ruleset.

In an interview with the promotion, the 27-year-old offered:

"I'm also very grateful to ONE for making this fight happen. I know that many people asked for this fight, and it will finally happen. Everyone stands to gain."

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Gabriel Sousa vs. Mikey Musumeci will be entertainment-guaranteed

Given how closely contested their first fight unfolded, submission grappling enthusiasts could be in for another cracking performance between two ground-game wizards, who continue to evolve their jiu-jitsu game at a rapid pace.

Gabriel Sousa heads into this match with 39 tapout wins on his resume, having submitted foes with chokes, holds, hooks, and triangles.

Despite being known for his ultra-aggressive submission-hunting game, the Lucas Rocha Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt enters this key fixture with two submission wins in his past 12 matches.

Meanwhile, Mikey Musumeci, always on the hunt for perfection, has 31 submission triumphs under his belt.

Since debuting under the ONE banner, the Evolve MMA has finished four of his six fights in highlight-reel fashion, notably tapping Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki with his signature 'Aoki Lock' at ONE Fight Night 15 last October.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 167 card live and for free in U.S. primetime on June 7.