Reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci will put his elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills up against a legendary fighter who outweighs him by a significant margin.
On Friday, October 6, at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video, Musumeci will square off with Japanese MMA icon Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in an openweight submission grappling showdown that will – quite literally – be the biggest test of the titleholder’s ONE tenure.
Widely regarded as the planet’s top pound-for-pound ground fighter, Musumeci boasts a perfect record in ONE, and he’s at the top of his game after taking out strawweight MMA king Jarred Brooks in dominant fashion at ONE Fight Night 13.
The 27-year-old BJJ black belt has already competed three times this year, winning each match in spectacular fashion, and he knows that a victory over Aoki could further entrench him as a pound-for-pound great.
The Japanese star, though, is not a typical MMA fighter.
A veteran of nearly 60 professional bouts and a former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion, Aoki is arguably the most feared submission ace the sport has ever seen.
With an incredible 30 victories via submission over the course of his illustrious career – including three in ONE World Title bouts – “Tobikan Judan” is a true ground specialist of the highest order.
But while Aoki earned his legendary status through his exploits in MMA, he’s no stranger to submission grappling. A veteran of the prestigious ADCC World Championships, he also competed in the first-ever submission grappling bout in ONE history, suffering a loss against Garry Tonon in 2017.
Given his grappling credentials, his experience at the highest level, and his serious size advantage over the flyweight kingpin, Aoki could pose a unique set of challenges for Musumeci.
“Darth Rigatoni,” meanwhile, will look to pick up his third consecutive submission victory in U.S. primetime and prove that his BJJ technique works against skilled opponents – no matter their size.
