The Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will soon play host to an intriguing openweight submission grappling battle between Japanese MMA icon Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki and current ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci.
Slated to air live in U.S. primetime on October 6 at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video, this matchup pits Aoki’s years of world-class MMA experience (and significant size advantage) against Musumeci’s truly elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu credentials and refined technique.
Shinya Aoki says ONE Submission grappling rules are perfect for Mikey Musumeci’s style
A former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion, Aoki is no stranger to ground fighting himself. With an incredible 30 submissions on his resume and experience in ONE’s submission grappling rule set, the 40-year-old veteran is widely regarded as one of the finest submission specialists ever seen in MMA.
When he looks ahead to his clash with Musumeci, ‘Tobikan Juda’ admits he should be wary of his foe’s vaunted guard game – the same guard that’s helped him earn a perfect 5-0 record in ONE, three submissions, and flyweight submission grappling gold. Aoki also recognizes that ‘Darth Rigatoni’s’ guard-based approach works well under ONE rules, which emphasize legitimate submission threats above all else.
He said: “I think that being flexible and able to attack from the bottom in a variety of ways is [Musumeci’s] strong point. I think the rules in ONE fit Mikey very well. If you’re on the ground and attack from below, you won’t get a negative point. In that sense, I think the rule set is a plus for him.” Over the course of his illustrious career, Aoki has rarely shied away from playing mind games, always looking to gain an advantage whenever possible. But against the friendly and gregarious Musumeci, the Japanese star plans to be all business.
To that end, fans can expect a beautiful display of ground fighting techniques on October 6.
Aoki added: “In this match, I won’t apply psychological techniques or cheap tricks. I will just get in the ring wearing only my pants and give a performance to show who I am. It will be a match where we will forcefully fight each other. I am determined to do my best against him.”
