ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci is in constant pursuit of greatness, and he’s setting his sights on shutting down another top competitor after his latest win this past weekend.

Last Friday, June 7, “Darth Rigatoni” defeated the last man to submit him in competition when he tapped Gabriel Sousa in their bantamweight submission grappling contest at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mikey Musumeci’s victory was fueled by redemption

Despite moving up in weight, Musumeci was his usual dominant self against the Brazilian grappler as he strung together a series of submission attempts before locking in a nasty calf slicer to earn the win at 3:07 of the 10-minute bout.

His incredible performance earned him a cool US$50,000 bonus. But his reasons for scoring a quick win went beyond financial gain, as he made clear in his post-fight interview with commentator Mitch Chilson.

“This wasn’t about money for me. It was about avenging a loss and shutting up the freakin media,” Musumeci said. “I’m just doing my own thing, minding my own business. I’m nice to everyone. And people keep talking crap about me all the time. This guy talked so much freaking crap, guys; that’s why I have this energy. And for this bonus, thank you so much, Chatri.”

Musumeci challenges “Baby Shark” Reis to back up his trash talk

The American went on to announce that he would give his coaches US$10,000 each from the bonus he earned before calling out Diego “Baby Shark” Reis as his next opponent. The 22-year-old is a prominent figure in the grappling community, having achieved multiple top finishes in ADCC and IBJJF tournaments, and Musumeci broke down how they were slated to roll before the Brazilian pulled out.

As a staunch opponent of bullying, “Darth Rigatoni” challenged Reis to come and back up the trash talk he’s been engaging in since their canceled meeting. “I had to wait seven months for this match with Gabriel. That’s the only thing I respect him for taking this match because I was supposed to have a match with the ADCC Champion “Baby Shark”, then he wouldn’t do it because of the drug test,” Musumeci said.

He further added, “I told him f***in’ take your steroids and fight me. And he still wouldn’t do it and did Who’s Number One instead. So then I fought the second place ADCC champion. All these f***in’ guys just talk s***, but they don’t go through with it; they wouldn’t even come here.”