ONE Championship: Mikey Musumeci’s Top 3 Performances Of 2023

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ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci has continued to dominate his division throughout 2023. His performances in both the Circle and the ring have seen him dismiss all opponents in one-sided fashion, deeming these fights worthy to look back on as the year comes to a close.

"Darth Rigatoni" competed in ONE four times throughout 2023. The list stemmed from esteemed grapplers to legends to ONE World Champions. And all fell to the grappling talents of Musumeci.

With that said, let's look at the American's top three performances this year in ONE Championship from meeting his idol to facing different sport champion in a super-fight.

1. ONE Fight Night 15 versus Shinya Aoki: Musumeci was having a stellar year by the time ONE Fight Night 15 rolled around, and it was topped off with the opportunity to compete against his idol in former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki in openweight submission grappling.

The Japanese icon would prove to be a stern test for Musumeci, but the American refused to give his hero an inch this past October. The matchup came down to a game of fine margins, but it was Musumeci who had the final say.

At just 3:05 of the 10-minute round, "Darth Rigatoni" clamped on the former World Champion's signature "Aoki Lock" - a heel hook - to earn the submission win and end 2023 with four wins out of four matches.

2. ONE Fight Night 13 versus Jarred Brooks: Musumeci entered the ring this past summer at ONE Fight Night 13, battling decorated wrestler and ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks in a submission grappling super-fight for the ages.

The primed talents of "The Monkey God" were on show against Musumeci. Brooks forced his compatriot to choose his techniques wisely and remain patient throughout the bout as Brooks continued to press his man.

Ultimately, Brooks' aggressive display wasn't enough to knock Musumeci off the throne as the 27-year-old tightened the triangle-armbar submission at 7:30 of the contest for his third win of the year.

3. ONE Fight Night 10 versus Osamah Almarwai: Osamah Almarwai arrived in ONE fresh off the back of success in the 2022 No-Gi World Championships, which earned him an intriguing battle with Musumeci at ONE Fight Night 10 this past May in Denver, Colorado.

The main card submission grappling feature saw the pair tie up in a closely contested outing as Almarwai brought the heat to Musumeci with plenty to win by doing so. But Musumeci refused to be moved.

Instead, Musumeci captured the back of the Saudi grappler, sinking in the rear-naked choke at 8:03 of the contest. Musumeci had his hands full, but once again the American grappler could not be denied.