Mikey Musumeci says submitting Shinya Aoki with the ‘Aoki Lock’ was “the most special way” to win the match

For ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci, to be able to submit Shinya Aoki in their fight was in itself already special. However, to do it by way of a move the Japanese legend himself created made it more noteworthy.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ and ‘Tobikan Judan’ met in an openweight submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video on October 6 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

While he surrendered some size disadvantage to the traditionally lightweight Shinya Aoki, it did not stop Mikey Musumeci from rising to the challenge and coming up with an impressive victory by submission midway into their 10-minute showdown.

The Italian-American champion got it done via a modified heel hook, which he dubbed the “Aoki Lock,” at the 6:55 mark of the match.

Mikey Musumeci did not waste time in pressuring Shinya Aoki, going for his signature leg attacks. He made significant inroads right away, managing to put a hold on his opponent’s right leg and cranked it on end until Aoki could not bear it anymore and tapped out.

In the post-event interview session, Musumeci, 27, shared his thoughts on the victory and the manner with which he was able to execute it, saying:

“But the reason why Shinya was very special to me was again, the Aoki Lock is one of my favorite moves. You know, I won many world titles doing his position. So the fact that I did his position on the creator is the most special way I could have won this match.”

Watch the interview below:

The win was Mikey Musumeci’s ninth straight victory and sixth in ONE in as many matches since debuting in the promotion in April last year. He became ONE world champion in September 2022 and has had three successful title defenses to date.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 15 is available on ONE Championship’s official YouTube page.