Mikey Musumeci, despite being a significant favorite, surprised many with the way his openweight submission grappling match against the seasoned MMA veteran Shinya Aoki unfolded. The contest took place at ONE Fight Night 15 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The bout commenced with Musumeci willingly offering his leg for a takedown, which Aoki accepted. Musumeci quickly seized the opportunity to explore K-guard entries against his predominantly defensive opponent. After approximately three minutes of action, the American successfully navigated his way into a deep leg entanglement. There, he secured Aoki’s ankle, positioned the heel in front of his torso, and applied a twisting motion to submit Aoki.
In essence, Musumeci executed a flawless Aoki lock, the very submission named after Shinya Aoki, to secure the victory. This win earned the 27-year-old ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion a $50,000 performance bonus and extended his unbeaten record in ONE to 6-0, with four wins achieved through submissions.
Despite his undoubted success and wealth gained from his career in Asia, this has also led some fans to question the validity of Musumeci’s matches with opponents who are often viewed as far below the American when it comes to talent. For now at least, it looks like Musumeci is more than happy to compete at this level.
