Mikey Musumeci motivated to showcase ‘the art of jiu-jitsu’ when he meets Shinya Aoki

Mikey Musumeci is thrilled to return to the global stage of ONE Championship because it will give him another chance to do what he does best – solve another tough assignment.

The New Jersey native competes against Shinya Aoki in an openweight submission grappling contest at ONE Fight Night 15, bound for the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

As a perfectionist and a strategist, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ is pumped to immerse himself with as much knowledge on an upcoming rival. Thankfully, he won’t be short of resources due to ‘Tobikan Judan's’ glorious career in martial arts.

And with him matching up against Aoki at a weight class above his usual division, the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion wants to prove that the discipline, which has always labeled itself to be effective against a larger foe, is accurate.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Mikey Musumeci said:

“I think that I’m able to really show the art of jiu-jitsu when I compete, and that’s what I want to show in this match. And I wanna show it against a bigger opponent, which is what jiu-jitsu stands for – being able to defeat someone bigger than you.”

Overcoming an athlete with as much experience as Aoki is easier said than done.

As one of the best grappling-based MMA fighters, the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion has faced various athletes, and Mikey Musumeci will be no different.

Still, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ remains pumped to tackle another big assignment on the grandest stage possible. And it doesn’t come any bigger than ‘Tobikan Judan’ on one of the most iconic cards of the year.

ONE Fight Night 15 will be available to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 6.