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American jiu-jitsu ace Mikey Musumeci conquered Shinya Aoki in their grappling match last week in impressive fashion. He, however, maintains that he is still a fan of the Japanese legend and that it was a privilege to share the ring with him.
‘Darth Rigatoni’ forced ‘Tobikan Judan’ into submission in their openweight submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video on October 6 in Bangkok.
Despite surrendering a size disadvantage to the traditionally lightweight Aoki in their featured match, the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion was in his element and showcased his A-1 skills in coming up with the win.
The Italian-American champion did it by way of a modified heel hook, which he dubbed the “Aoki Lock,” at the 6:55 mark of their 10-minute match at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
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Mikey Musumeci did not take long to put pressure on Shinya Aoki, going for his trademark attacks on the legs. He had success right the way, managing to put a hold on his opponent’s right leg and cranked it on end until Aoki could not bear it anymore and tapped out midway into the contest.
In the post-event interview session, while he shared his excitement in getting the win, 27-year-old Musumeci also took time to speak about his conquered opponent and what he meant to him, saying:
“Shinya was the first match I ever saw in ONE Championship. So being one of the top competitors in ONE Championship now, and the first time I ever saw ONE Championship was Shinya competing. So, you know how special it is facing the guy that actually made me interested and a fan of ONE Championship. That’s Shinya. Again, that’s a very special moment for me. It all circles back to me watching Shinya compete and growing up watching him compete.”
Check out the interview of Mikey Musumeci below:
The win was the ninth straight for Mikey Musumeci and sixth in ONE Championship since making his promotional debut in April last year.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 15 is available on ONE Championship’s official YouTube page.
