Cleber Sousa: Winning world title would be a dream come true

Grappling rising star Cleber Sousa finally has a chance to make one of his dreams come true on the global stage at ONE on Prime Video 2.

The 27-year-old Brazilian will make his first appearance with the promotion to compete for the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship against a former rival, Mikey Musumeci, live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 30.

With the event taking flight in the next few days, Sousa is making the final preparations for the biggest grappling trilogy of his career. When asked by ONE Championship what winning the first-ever grappling world title would mean to him, he replied:

“[Winning the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title] would undoubtedly be the pinnacle of my career and would change my professional and personal life.”

At the age of 13, Sousa first discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu through a cousin who took him to the Almeida Jiu-Jitsu social project to receive free classes. This was a turning point in Sousa’s life, which helped him escape from the harsh realities of poverty.

Although he didn’t have much, ‘Clandestino’ didn’t let circumstances stop him from fighting the fight. He went on to receive many accolades, including becoming an IBJJF Pan-American World Champion in 2019. Now, he will share the big stage with grappling prodigy Mikey ‘Darth Rigatoni’ Musumeci for a chance at gold.

Cleber Sousa concluded by saying:

“After everything I’ve been through in life, it would be a dream come true.”

Cleber Sousa says he’s ready to surprise fans again with throwback video

Cleber Sousa says he’s ready to surprise fans by making history on September 30. Sousa and Musumeci have already met twice, both times in 2017 at the IBJJF World Championship, with the two grapplers earning a victory apiece.

This will be ‘Clandestino’s’ first appearance in ONE while Musumeci enters his second match with the promotion. 'Darth Rigatoni' garnered his first win at ONE 156 in April by submitting Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari with a rear-naked choke.

Sousa, however, reminded fans on Instagram that the Italian-American prodigy is beatable. He’s so excited to make history with his former rival that he posted a preview of what’s to come for Brazilian jiu-jitsu fans across the world.

The caption reads: