Mikey Musumeci on what makes ONE Championship special: “It connected us”

At ONE Fight Night 10, Mikey Musumeci defended his flyweight submission grappling world championship for a second time.

In what was seen as his toughest test to date inside the circle, the divisional king capped off an overall impressive performance with a rear-naked choke submission over his challenger Osamah Almarwai at the 8:03 mark of their duel.

Whilst he is always happy to get the opportunity to share the stage with elite competitors from the worlds of MMA, Muay Thai and kickboxing, this particular night was different for Musumeci.

With ONE Championship hosting its first-ever on-ground event in the United States, the New Jersey native received an incredible reception when he walked out in the sold-out 1stBank Center in Colorado.

Following his win, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ got emotional talking about the last few months away from the spotlight and some of the adversity he has faced in the lead-up to his fourth promotional appearance since his debut in April last year.

In his post-fight press conference after the event, the 26-year-old spoke about being grateful for the opportunity that ONE Championship has not just given him, but for all of the fans and competitors that all contribute to the experience.

He said:

“I think that’s what’s so special about ONE and again bringing the whole world together. It isn’t just the U.S., it’s the whole world. And traveling the world with jiu-jitsu, meeting so many different people, different religions, different cultures, because we shared jiu-jitsu, it connected us.”

Musumeci has quickly become part of the family in ONE Championship and through his run of impressive performances, will surely convince more grapplers to join and provide inspiration for up-and-comers.

North American fans can rewatch Mikey Musumeci versus Osamah Almarwai and the entire ONE Fight Night 10 card for free via the replay on Prime Video.