“Our goal is to overcome those failures” - Mikey Musumeci on why he asked ONE Championship for Gabriel Sousa rematch

Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci of the United States has chased ONE Championship to book a rematch with former tormentor Gabriel Sousa for years. Now, he's finally getting what he wants.

The 27-year-old Italian American explains that rematching Sousa will prove his jiu-jitsu has gotten better since their first encounter.

'Darth Rigatoni' told ONE Championship:

"Because what would be easy for me is just to stay in my weight class, where I have, like, a 100% success rate the last, like, eight years. But Gabriel is the last person to beat me. Right? So in my mind, my goal is to get the best jiu-jitsu I can have."

Musumeci continued:

"And in life, we fail many times, so our goal is to overcome those failures. And that's how we improve and we get better in life. I know I'm gonna get so much, I know I improved so much because of that failure. So I'm very grateful to Gabriel for that time period, and I'm very eager now to overcome it and to see my progress."

Sousa was the last man to beat and submit Musumeci when the two met at Who's Number One in 2021. The Brazilian tapped 'Darth Rigatoni' out to a north-south choke.

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'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci to face Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167 on Prime Video

Vengeance is within Mikey Musumeci's grasp when he finally steps back onto the mats to face former IBJJF world champion Gabriel Sousa of Brazil.

The two lock horns at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video. The event broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. The show airs Friday, June 7, in U.S. primetime.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event, as it happens.