Mikey Musumeci to rematch Gabriel Sousa at ONE 167
Mikey Musumeci and Gabriel Sousa will meet in a submission grappling rematch on Friday, June 7, at ONE 167.
Current ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is booked for the biggest test of his ONE Championship tenure.
On Friday, June 7, at ONE 167 in Bangkok, Musumeci will square off with ADCC silver medalist Gabriel Sousa in a bantamweight (145-pound) submission grappling tilt. The contest will be a 10-minute, submission-only non-title match.
Notably, Sousa was the last man to defeat Musumeci when the two clashed at Who’s Number One back in 2021. That bout took place at 155 pounds, above the New Jersey native’s typical weight class of 135 pounds.
In that matchup, Sousa employed his trademark outside guard passing to wear down Musumeci, eventually securing the north-south choke finish to earn what was perhaps the biggest win of his career up to that point.
Since then, the Brazilian has established himself as one of the world’s top no-gi competitors, winning second in the 66kg division at the 2022 ADCC World Championships while boasting notable victories over the likes of top European competitor Ash Williams, multiple-time IBJJF no-gi world champion Gianni Grippo, and current pound-for-pound great Diego “Pato” Oliveira, among others.
This match will mark Sousa’s ONE Championship debut.
For his part, Musumeci hasn’t tasted defeat since his encounter with Sousa. He has gone on to claim his fourth IBJJF gi world championship and build a 6-0 record in ONE Championship – a stretch that includes four world title bouts. He will come into this contest following a submission win over MMA veteran Shinya Aoki last October.
Like their first match, fans can expect an interesting clash of styles when Musumeci and Sousa lock horns. While Musumeci is perhaps the planet’s finest guard player, renowned for his berimbolos and innovative entries to leg locks, Sousa is a relentless guard passer with a seemingly endless gas tank and immovable base.
The contest is set to go down at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and will take place inside ONE’s Circle.
How to watch: Mikey Musumeci vs. Gabriel Sousa takes place at ONE 167 on June 7, and will air live on Prime Video (free with Amazon Plus subscription) beginning at 8:00 PM EST.
