Mikey Musumeci reflects on massive wins over MMA superstars Jarred Brooks, Shinya Aoki

2023 turned out to be eventful for ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci. He considers his victories over MMA superstars Jarred Brooks and Shinya Aoki as among the highlights.

'Darth Rigatoni' took on strawweight MMA world champion Brooks back in August in a submission grappling super fight. He successfully defended his world title by submitting ‘The Monkey God’ by way of a triangle armbar.

Two months later, the Italian-American champion met up with Japanese legend Aoki in an openweight grappling showdown. He once again emerged victorious by way of submission (inside heel hook/Aoki Lock).

In an interview with ONE Championship, Mikey Musumeci reflected on his back-to-back wins over the MMA superstars and shared how they added significance to the career he is trying to build for himself in ONE. He said:

“I moved to Thailand, and I fought Jarred Brooks, and I submitted him. I had a nice performance there. I had my fight with Shinya, and now, I’m finally healthy again.”

Prior to his victories over Brooks and Aoki, Musumeci successfully defended the world title he won in September last year twice. In January, he beat Mongolian challenger Gantumur Bayanduuren by unanimous decision and submitted Yemeni Osamah Almarwai via rear-naked choke in May.

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Mikey Musumeci eying no gi showdowns against Gabriel Sousa and Diogo Reis

American submission grappling ace Mikey Musumeci is seeking to continue challenging himself next year and is eying no gi showdowns against fellow BJJ black belts Gabriel Sousa and Diogo Reis.

Started his no gi jiu-jitsu transition two years ago, the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion believes grappling with the likes of Sousa and Reis would enhance his progress.

He shared this in a recent interview with ONE Championship, saying:

“Those two guys, they mean a lot to me, especially for my career in no-gi. You know, my career in gi, it speaks for itself. I won every title. I beat the top people. In the gi, my credibility is complete.”

While gi and no gi share similarities in techniques, they are different when it comes to tactics, with the latter relying more on wrestling-based grips as well as body mechanics and hand positioning, among others, for one to win.

Sousa and Reis are considered among the top BJJ athletes in the world. They have competed and won in respected tournaments like the ADCC World Submission Fighting, International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s (IBJJF) World, Pan and European Open Championships.