ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is bound for a historic battle at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6. Wearing the rashguard across the Circle from him will be former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya 'Tobikan Judan' Aoki in an openweight submission grappling match. Aoki is a legendary figure in Japanese MMA and has established himself as one of the few grappling purists to achieve success in the sport.
Come fight night, the much larger 'Tobikan Judan' will outweigh the measly statured 'Darth Rigatoni' by at least 30 pounds. Although this may look like an imbalanced bout, it's quite commonplace in sport jiu-jitsu. Tournaments like IBJJF and ADCC regularly hold Absolute openweight bouts every year.
Ahead of Mikey Musumeci's bout with Aoki, ONE Championship showcased one of the greatest aspects of his persona - his kindness. The promotion posted a compilation of Musumeci's interactions with his opponents after beating them:
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"Respect above all 🙏 Who's pumped for Mikey Musumeci to take on Shinya Aoki on October 6 at ONE Fight Night 15 on @primevideo? 🤩 @mikeymusumeci"
Fans are behind their favorite jiu-jitsu nerd and are all supportive in the comments section:
@king_slayerphady said something a lot of people will agree with:
"This guys skill is unkillable"
We want to put a megaphone on what @erm_enale said in the comments:
"There are “kings”, “goats”, and then there is Mikey🔥"
@dirty_barnacles just admire's Musumeci's purity on and off the mats:
"How does anybody dislike Mikey?? He’s a genuine guy and has always shown the utmost respect for his opponents and everybody involved in the jiujitsu world. Plus he’s obviously a monster on the mats"
@jsminstantcoaching seconded it:
"It's not only about beautiful techniques, wins, it's not only about medals, or cash prizes, it's about being an inspiration for anybody who watches you fighting, Miley will impact you no matter where you stand in your journey, as a martial artist or just as an individual, young or mature, he shows exquisite talents of leadership 🔥🔥🔥"
Watch Mikey Musumeci lock horns with Shinya Aoki at ONE Fight Night 15 inside the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, which will air live on US Primetime free of charge for Prime Video members in North America.