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ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is a master of his sport.
At ONE Fight Night 6, Musumeci defended his world title with a unanimous decision victory over Gantumur Bayanduuren.
Known for spending a ridiculous amount of time on the mats each and every single day, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ could have become an expert in anything with his workrate but he chose jiu-jitsu.
Following his contest at ONE Fight Night 6, Mikey Musumeci spoke about the possibility of rekindling his love for training in Muay Thai.
Since signing with ONE Championship, Musumeci has been living in Singapore and training out of the EVOLVE gym, which offers the highest level of Muay Thai.
Whilst he has not said that he will make a full-time commitment to striking with the potential for competing in MMA, it is an idea that has been bouncing around in his head.
During his ONE Fight Night 6 post-fight interview, he said:
"I wouldn't say soon. I train at EVOLVE, so I have the best Muay Thai program in the world. So I plan on learning Muay Thai in the next year or so and then seeing where my level goes. And I did Muay Thai for seven years as a kid, so I have a background in Muay Thai. I just have to learn it again, but it's not like I haven't done any martial arts like stand-up. So, I would just like to see how I progress over time and then I would love to see if I like to do MMA."
Watch the full interview below:
Mikey Musumeci talks about his first world title defense
Mikey Musumeci successfully defended his ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship on Friday night. With a unanimous decision win against sambo world champion Gantumur Bayanduuren, Musumeci kicked off the first of three world title fights at ONE Fight Night 6 on Prime Video.
In his first appearance inside the circle since becoming ONE’s first submission grappling world champion in September, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ was unable to secure a submission victory but still dominated the contest throughout its 10-minute time limit.
During the bout, Musumeci had Bayanduuren in all kinds of trouble with his submission threats on the challenger's legs. Somehow, the Mongolian challenger was able to bite down on his mouth piece and survive the attacks, refusing to tap.
Following his title defense, Mikey Musumeci took to Instagram to reflect on the fight, referencing that he felt nauseous after the bout due to Bayanduuren’s leg “exploding":
"AND STILL!! // ONE FLYWEIGHT SUBMISSION GRAPPLING WORLD CHAMPION - Today I won my first title defense @onechampionship . I want to thank my team in Singapore @evolvemma and my team in Vegas @ftcclv and @jiujitsumethods for helping me so much.”
Musumeci’s post on Instagram continued:
“We did it!! I had a great performance today, but I have been nauseous all day after feeling my opponents leg explode; I don’t wish harm on any of my opponents, and I honestly hate hurting anyone. I want my opponents to be able to train the next day. I wish him a fast recovery 🙏🏻 God bless everyone 😊❤️"
