“Holy crap” - Mikey Musumeci was blown away by how big ONE Championship was in his first match

ONE submission grappling superstar Mikey Musumeci thought that he would be used to the bright lights and publicity since he's been competing at the highest level of Brazilian jiu-jitsu multiple times. However, ‘Darth Rigatoni’, admitted that he was taken aback by the massive exposure and reception he received after submitting grappling legend Masakazu Imanari with a rear-naked choke at ONE 156 this past April.

According to the decorated American-born BJJ ace, the magnitude of his ONE debut doesn't compare to anything he’s ever dealt with before in his career, and nothing even comes close to it.

He shared the once-in-a-lifetime experience in an exclusive interview with ONE Championship:

“So, I’ve won black belt worlds five times in IBJJF, [and] one match in ONE was like 10 times the amount of publicity. So, it’s like, ‘Holy crap.' That just puts things into perspective, how big ONE is, you know?”

Following the success of his trial by fire, which went down as one of the most watched-submission grappling matches of all time, Mikey Musumeci will get to perform for an even bigger audience.

The 26-year-old IBJJF black belt world champion is set to compete for the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world title against an opponent he knows too well in Cleber ‘Clandestino’ Souza

The pair will get to showcase their BJJ wizardry in front of a massive North American viewership at ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs Lee III on September 30.

The promotion’s initial venture to expand its reach to American viewers was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, as ONE on Prime Video 1 exceeded expectations last month. The second serving is expected to be bigger than its predecessor.

Mikey Musumeci is obviously thrilled to be a part of history, and he can’t wait to take submission grappling to new heights by winning the gold strap.

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Mikey Musumeci is ready for the biggest match of his life

Mikey Musumeci got to enjoy the spoils of victory following his immense win over a BJJ innovator like Imanari.

Apart from the well-deserved global recognition, he even received a cool $50,000 USD bonus for putting up a grappling clinic against an opponent of that caliber.

Now, he’s shifting his focus to Sousa and the chance to be hailed as the first-ever ONE world champion in the grappling arts.

In an interview with Jiu-Jitsu Times, the Evolve MMA standout talked about the preparations he made for his highly-anticipated return to the circle:

“I’m taking this match more seriously than I’ve ever taken any other match. I’m really disciplined in my routine, and I’m training every day. I’m not taking off any days. I’m studying jiu-jitsu every day. I’m treating this match like it’s the biggest match of my life – which it is.”

Don’t let Mikey Musumeci’s sunny demeanor fool you. He’s not playing around and we’ll get to see the fruits of his labor soon enough at ONE on Prime Video 2.