Mikey Darth Rigatoni Musumeci came into ONE Fight Night 10 on a mission to land another spectacular submission – and he did just that.
On May 5, the reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion successfully defended his gold, taking out Yemeni star Osamah Almarwai with a masterful rear-naked choke.
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Musumeci was in full control from the opening bell at 1stBank Center in Colorado.
The American BJJ prodigy relentlessly attacked his foe with a chain of heel hook attempts before moving to Almarwai’s back and sinking in the choke with just under two minutes remaining.
With the dominant win, he earned a well-deserved US$50,000 performance bonus and continued his reign atop the division. And according to Darth Rigatoni, the plan was to stay on the offensive, never allowing his opponent a single moment to mount his own attacks.
He said afterward:
Yeah, like every second I’m in a match, I’m attacking a submission to finish the match. There’s not one second in this match I wasn’t attacking to finish. So I just kept attacking, attacking, attacking. Kind of like striking where you’re looking for the knockout punch, I’m just attacking finishes every second, and then I finally got the finish in the end.
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While Musumeci often appears invincible inside the Circle, he’s admitted to dealing with inner struggles throughout much of his life.
And just moments after Friday’s victory, the 26-year-old told fans that he’d gone through a bout of depression leading up to his matchup with Almarwai.
Despite that setback, the titleholder was able to push through and properly prepare for his world-class challenger – leaning on his enduring faith and dedication to intense training:
Yeah, the only thing I will say is that if I get through these times everyone can, you know? You just have to be patient, and it’s very hard. I just felt so blessed that I’m here, and I got emotional at the end of the match because I just reflected on the last two months. It was just a mix of me training, praying, training, and just asking God to help me. And now, I’m back.
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‘Very Special’ – Musumeci Hyped To See Growth Of ONE In U.S.
Mikey Musumeci’s defense of his ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title served as a co-main event at ONE’s groundbreaking debut on U.S. soil – perhaps the biggest, most important event in the organization’s history
The New Jersey native was proud to see himself and other athletes on the card get such a positive reception from the American crowd.
And going forward, he’s confident that ONE – with its wide variety of combat sports and elite competitors from around the globe – will continue to captivate audiences in the West:
I think that ONE Championship is the future and the current, and I think that American fans are gonna love this, and they’re gonna appreciate the martial arts all across the disciplines.
I think that’s what’s so special about ONE, and again, bringing the whole world together. It isn’t just the U.S. It’s the whole world. And traveling the world with jiu-jitsu. Meeting so many different people, different religions, different cultures. Because we shared jiu-jitsu, it connected us.
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Ultimately, that is how Musumeci views martial arts – a tool to connect athletes and fans from various backgrounds within a shared experience.
And in that regard, he believes ONE is leading the way.
Darth Rigatoni added:
I feel like ONE is connecting the whole world, and you could feel that when you’re watching. From all the different countries, there are people on these cards. It’s just a very special event.
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