Mikey Musumeci Stands Out as Tye Ruotolo and Tommy Langaker Star in ONE Championship’s Notable Submission Grappling Performances Picks by EssentiallySports (2023)

ONE Championship had a landmark year in 2023, mounting a record number of events and breaking various viewership records.  The world’s largest martial arts organization put a focus on submission grappling last year and signed some of the biggest names in the sport, giving it the spotlight it deserves. 

As such, we have chosen some of ONE’s standout performers and moments in submission grappling in 2023. And here they are. Mikey Musumeci had a busy 2023 – to say the least. Apart from being a full-time athlete, he was also part of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition Season 2. However, he still made a name for himself. Here’s more. 

ONE Championship’s best submission grappler of 2023 – Mikey Musumeci

He never took a break from competing, though, and started the year with a successful first defense of the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship against Gantumur Bayanduuren at ONE Fight Night 6 in January. 

He later took out fellow BJJ black belt Osamah Almarwai and ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks to remain king of his division and arguably the best grappler in his weight class today. Musumeci topped off 2023.

All by figuring in an openweight submission grappling contest with Japanese martial arts legend Shinya Aoki in October. Despite a significant weight disadvantage, the American superstar finished his fabled foe with his own “Aoki Lock” submission.

Clearly, a worthy choice for the best grappler of the year. He has some of the best skills in terms of his ground game and he’s also been to Thailand to practice his striking now. Perhaps 2024 will see him becoming an even bigger force in the division.

ONE Championship’s best submission grappling match of 2023 – Kade Ruotolo vs. Tommy Langaker

While fans look forward to finishes in submission grappling contests, some bouts become such a technical display of skill that no one wants them to end. That was the case in Kade Ruotolo’s ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling defense against Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 11 in June. 

Each man had called the other out following an interaction at an event outside of ONE Championship. And when they finally got their hands on each other, both put everything into finding an advantage across 10 minutes of nail-biting action.  When the dust settled, Ruotolo’s constant aggression helped him keep his belt, but Langaker’s performance won the hearts of a lot of fans across the globe. 

ONE Championship’s most memorable submission grappling performance of 2023 – Mikey Musumeci on Gantumur Bayanduuren

We’ve seen plenty of submission finishes over the past year, but the one that stood out was Mikey Musumeci’s relentless pursuit of the “Mikey Lock” on Gantumur Bayanduuren in January.  “Darth Rigatoni” ultimately failed to submit his opponent, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Early in the match, he caught his Mongolian rival in his signature foot lock and attempted to find the right angle to end his opponent. Bayanduuren was incredibly resilient, though, and refused to tap despite getting his legs twisted in ways that were not humanly possible.

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Following the match, it was revealed that Musumeci had torn multiple ligaments in his rival’s leg en route to the decision win, and Bayanduuren has been out of action since.

ONE Championsip’s multi-weight star of 2023 – Tye Ruotolo

Tye Ruotolo has made it his personal mission to take on fighters bigger than him to prove that his technique is superior against size. This past year, he competed in three submission grappling contests in three different weight classes. 

First, he went the distance against ONE Middleweight MMA World Champion Reinier de Ridder in a tight contest that ultimately ended in his favor at ONE’s debut show in North America – ONE Fight Night 10 – in May. He then submitted former ranked lightweight MMA contender Dagi Arslanaliev in a 180-pound catchweight bout three months later at ONE Fight Night 13. 

Finally, he closed the year by edging out Russia’s Magomed Abdulkadirov to claim the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Championship in November’s ONE Fight Night 16. Without a doubt, Ruotolo is proving that no matter the weight class, he is an all-round threat. What are your thoughts about it?

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