“He’s such a legend” - Mikey Musumeci forces his way through illness to get his chance at Shinya Aoki

Mikey Musumeci wasn’t letting his opportunity against Shinya Aoki pass him by, even if it came at the expense of his overall health.

The reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion took on the Japanese legend in an openweight bout at ONE Fight Night 15 this past weekend at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

In one of the most poetic performances on the card, Musumeci submitted the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion with the Aoki Lock.

Following his submission win, Musumeci said in his post-fight interview that he wasn’t going to let an illness get the better of him.

Musumeci was hospitalized a week before his match against Aoki after he suffered a nasty case of food poisoning.

Nevertheless, Musumeci made good on his promise and was cleared to face the Aoki.

Musumeci said:

“After the match, when the fight was over, that's the first thing I said. It was a very special moment for me to be out there with Shinya. And I think that's why even when I was sick like I am right now, I still feel really sick. I took this match because I wanted to have the opportunity to roll with him because he’s such a legend.”

Aoki is arguably the greatest pure grappler to ever make the transition to MMA.

Throughout his stellar two-decade career, Aoki collected 30 of his 47 wins by submission. Aoki had such a groundbreaking Brazilian jiu-jitsu game that he earned the nickname ‘Tobikan Judan’ or Grandmaster of Flying Submissions.

Apart from his two reigns with the ONE lightweight MMA world title, Aoki also won championships at DREAM and Professional Shooto. Aoki was also one of the most terrifying grapplers in the history of PRIDE FC.

Watch Musumeci's entire interview below: