"Two guys with passion and energy" - Mikey Musumeci on why his grappling rematch with Gabriel Sousa will be must-see TV

The upcoming bantamweight submission grappling match between Mikey Musumeci and Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167 on June 7 has a lot of storylines attached to it.

Among the biggest narratives heading into this exciting contest is Musumeci's desire to score a revenge victory against Sousa, who submitted him in their first fight in 2021.

But the reigning undisputed ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion wants to look past these plots and instead focus on the task at hand because he guarantees that it will steal the show during the event.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, 'Darth Rigatoni' said:

"That's why we're gonna make it exciting. Two guys with that passion and energy going hard at each other. And, again, I worked very hard for this match. That was my first year of no gi. I see it the same as my gi progression."

Musumeci currently rides a six-fight win streak in the world's largest martial arts organization, which dates back to his promotional debut in April 2022. Since then, he has become the inaugural flyweight submission grappling king and has successfully defended his 26-pound golden belt multiple times.

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Mikey Musumeci wants to add Gabriel Sousa to his growing hit list

Musumeci is not only looking to even the score with his Brazilian rival, but he also wants to keep his immaculate record intact under ONE Championship. The Evolve MMA representative has already collected incredible wins over the likes of Masakazu Imanari, Cleber Sousa, Gantuumur Bayanduuren, Osamah Almarwai, and Jarred Brooks.

His latest victim was former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki, whom he submitted in October 2023 at ONE Fight Night 15 in their openweight grappling submission match.

ONE 167 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America in U.S. primetime on June 7. The card will emanate from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.