Mikey Musumeci will square off with Shinya Aoki in an openweight submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 15.
Fresh off a successful defense of his ONE flyweight submission grappling world title earlier this month, Mikey Musumeci will soon return to action for an openweight matchup.
On Friday, October 6, at ONE Fight Night 15, Musumeci will take on longtime MMA veteran and former ONE MMA lightweight world champion Shinya Aoki in a 10-minute, submission-only contest.
Undefeated in five submission grappling bouts in ONE, Musumeci captured the title last September and has since defended his belt three times with victories over Sambo world champion Gantumur Bayanduuren, reigning IBJJF no-gi world champion Osamah Almarwai, and, most recently, ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks.
Aoki is best known for his exploits in MMA, boasting a professional record with over 45 wins, including 30 submission victories. Indeed, the Japanese star is widely regarded as one of the best submission specialists to ever compete in MMA. He has spent the vast majority of his career competing at 155 pounds but is a former ONE lightweight world champion (170 pounds).
This won’t be Aoki’s first time competing in submission grappling. A 2005 ADCC veteran, the 40-year-old holds a 1-2 record in ONE submission grappling matches, losing to Garry Tonon and Kade Ruotolo and defeating Russian MMA standout Marat Gafurov.
Despite Aoki’s reputation as a feared ground fighter, Musumeci – a five-time IBJJF world champion and arguably the most accomplished American-born BJJ competitor ever – will come into the bout as the much more experienced and credentialed grappler, making him a significant favorite.
However, Aoki will hold a significant size advantage over the American – a likely 20-30 pound weight difference that could present serious challenges for Musumeci.
How to watch: ONE Fight Night 15 takes place on Friday, October 6, and will air live on Prime Video (free with Amazon Plus subscription) beginning at 8:00 PM ET.
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