Mikey Musumeci ONE 168 Kade Ruotolo: FREE FULL FIGHT: Mikey Musumeci scores clinical submission win over IBJJF champ Osamah Almarwai in Denver

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci's stellar defense against Osamah Almarwai in May 2023 remains one of his best performances under the bright lights of ONE Championship.

Right from the start, 'Darth Rigatoni' imposed his will on the Atos product by going after a heel hook that had the challenger scrambling with all his might.

Though the IBJJF world champion fended off Musumeci's relentless attacks, the American star eventually broke through his defense and cinched in a rear-naked choke to earn his second submission finish under the promotion.

Relive the entire bout below, which ONE shared on YouTube:

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With a second defense of the ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship under his belt, ONE fans felt that something special was brewing in their midst.

Such feelings turned out to be true as he submitted battle-hardened vets Jarred Brooks, Shinya Aoki and rival Gabriel Sousa in his next three outings to improve his ONE record to a perfect 7-0.

Musumeci is headed to Denver, Colorado for his next ONE Championship bout. He is set to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE lightweight submission grappling world championship at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 inside the Ball Arena.

Mikey Musumeci on why he always goes for the finish in his bouts

Mikey Musumeci has an uncanny ability to pull off wicked submissions from unusual angles. He recently shared how he became so driven to force his opponents to tap out whenever he competes.

Speaking with Cageside Press, the Cobrinha BJJ and Evolve MMA product stated:

"I really believe that you lose if you don't finish the fight, you finish the match. So, I feel like that definitely made me a finisher."

Watch the full interview below:

Watch ONE 168 live inside the Ball Arena on Sept. 6. Tickets for the event are available at Ticketmaster.

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Krishna Venki