ONE Fight Night 15 to feature Mikey Musumeci Vs. Shinya Aoki

Mikey Musumeci is gearing up for a fresh test at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6th, 2023. His opponent will be none other than the grappling legend, Shinya Aoki, in an openweight showdown. This marks a departure for Musumeci, who has primarily competed at flyweight throughout his ONE Championship career, where he has notably earned the distinction of being the promotion’s inaugural submission grappling world champion. While Aoki isn’t significantly larger than Musumeci, he has a track record of competing in weight classes beyond Musumeci’s usual range.

Aoki’s professional MMA journey has been anchored in the lightweight division, securing multiple titles across various promotions. Yet, his experience extends beyond these boundaries, having ventured into both welterweight and featherweight categories in the past. Despite his MMA focus, Aoki’s prowess in grappling has been a hallmark of his 59 professional contests. Notably, he has also engaged in numerous standalone grappling bouts, including his participation in the 77kg category at ADCC 2005 and a recent decision bout against Kade Ruotolo at ONE 157.

In terms of experience and weight, Shinya Aoki holds the upper hand, having been a professional MMA athlete since Mikey Musumeci was a mere 7-year-old. Aoki had already crossed paths with formidable opponents like Marcelo Garcia and Roger Gracie before Musumeci turned 9. Although youth favors Musumeci, his recent form is the more impressive of the two. Aoki currently grapples with a two-fight losing streak in MMA and hasn’t tasted victory in the grappling arena since 2018. Meanwhile, Musumeci has been unbeaten for nearly two years and has demonstrated remarkable prowess in his recent title defenses.

The announcement of this compelling clash between Mikey Musumeci and Shinya Aoki in an openweight grappling exhibition at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6th, 2023 was shared by ONE Championship through a recent post on their official Instagram account.