Mikey Musumeci fired up to score payback on Gabriel Sousa: “I’m f****** ready”

Mikey Musumeci intends to leave everything on the line when he runs it back with Gabriel Sousa.

The rematch happens at ONE 167 on Prime Video, airing live in U.S. primetime from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, June 7.

There, the reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion moves up to bantamweight with the chance to settle the score with the last man to defeat him.

Their first encounter outside of ONE Championship in 2021 saw Sousa deliver a stunning upset. In that contest, he left an indelible impression, submitting Musumeci with a north-south choke.

In the years since that fateful night, Musumeci has been on a path to redemption.

“Darth Rigatoni” has won 14 consecutive matches, including the bout where he claimed the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title in 2022.

Reflecting on their initial clash, the New Jersey native vividly remembers Sousa’s formidable physicality and aggression. These are the aspects he now eagerly anticipates in their second meeting.

“He’s aggressive. I want him to be aggressive. I want him to come at me, and I’m gonna come at him,” Musumeci said.

Musumeci trains rigorously. But in preparation for Sousa, he appears to have taken his intensity to another level.

“I have this f****** crazy mindset right now. And I don’t have patience and I have ADHD. I don’t want him to f****** stay back and want him to f****** come at me like a missile,” he said.

“Let him have his power. Let him have his strength. I’m f****** ready for it.”

Mikey Musumeci guarantees different version in rematch

Mikey Musumeci believes that his improvements over the past three years have outpaced whatever Gabriel Sousa has achieved.

“I’m a whole f****** different person. And he is too. He got way more technical too, of course, probably in that span of time. He worked hard too and got better,” Musumeci said.

“So now it’s like the question is, did I improve enough to win this match? And I believe I did.”