ONE Championship’s Mikey Musumeci On His MMA Debut: ‘Maybe The End Of 2024’

“I need more time to study and progress.”

Mikey Musumeci defeated Shinya Aoki in memorable fashion earlier this month, forcing Aoki to tap out to a maneuver he created–the Aoki Lock.

Courtesy ONE

The submission came just over three minutes into the openweight submission grappling bout, which was part of the ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video card at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

“I beat him with the Aoki Lock, a move he created,” said Musumeci, the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion. “I honored him and his legacy by doing his position.”

This marked the ninth straight victory for Musumeci, 27, who is more than a decade younger than the 40-year-old Aoki.

“After the fight, he thanked me for using the move,” said Musumeci. “To me, that shows his contribution to martial arts. He thought the gesture was respectful. That’s how I intended it. It was a really cool moment.”

The triumph for Musumeci was not solely defeating Aoki. He also overcame a grueling illness in the days leading up to the fight, which initially caused the bout to be canceled before it was added back to the card.

“It might have been food poisoning,” said Musumeci, who initially thought he was sick due to a slice of Bangkok streetcar watermelon. “It might have been the flu. It might have been food poisoning and the flu. We still don’t know.”

Prior to the bout, Musumeci struggled to pass his hydration test. He failed on the first two attempts before finally passing on his third and final attempt.

“That showed how sick I was,” said Musumeci. “I drank almost two gallons of water, my urine was clear, but I still failed the hydration test. So I drank another 1.5 liters of water, took the test again–and failed the test again. I was freaked out. Obviously, I was ill. I didn’t know if I would pass. The fact I was failing with failed urine showed my body was pretty messed up.”

Given the state of his health, it is remarkable that Musumeci found a way to defeat Aoki.

“It was a f----- up week–but I made it through, barely,” said Musumeci. “It took a lot of effort. I was so dead. But I had the discipline to give one hour of training in the morning. I’d be in the sauna at night, and I’d drink water all day to flush out that shitty feeling. But I felt terrible all week.

“I’m a big believer that one plus one equals two. Jiu-jitsu is a puzzle. It’s a math problem, and I was capable of doing it. I worked so hard on my jiu-jitsu during my camp. That month prior to getting sick, the work I put in is the reason I won. That’s why I was able to win.”

After the fight, as he exited the venue, Musumeci complained that it was freezing cold–except the weather was beautiful. He returned to the hospital, where he spent the night, and his fever continued to spike.

“I was bed-ridden,” said Musumeci. “I didn’t leave my hotel bed for the next three days.”

While he is already back to training, Musumeci has no plans to compete again until the new year. He returns home to Las Vegas on November 4, then will spend the holidays with his family.

“I need a few months without competing to let my body recover,” said Musumeci. “And no more streetcar watermelon. F--- that.”

Currently a white belt, Musumeci hopes to make his MMA debut in ONE in 2024.

“Maybe at the end of 2024,” said Musumeci. “I want to slowly learn and keep progressing. Once I’m a high-level blue belt, I’ll be ready. I need more preparation to determine when I’m in danger.

“In standup, I’d put myself in positions where I could get knocked out, and I wouldn’t know. I need more time to study and progress.”

After a harrowing stretch, Musumeci expressed gratitude for his health–and the legions of fans who supported him.

“I got thousands of messages from people sending me love,” said Musumeci. “That meant the world to me. Competing is a responsibility. It’s a gift that God gave me. I’m blessed with this gift, and I don’t take it for granted.”