A passing of the torch second occurred at ONE Fight Night 15 final month when Mikey Musumeci submitted Shinya Aoki of their open-weight grappling showdown.
Making it extra spectacular was the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling king’s good use of Aoki’s signature transfer, ‘The Aoki Lock’.
The scholar quickly turned the grasp, as Musumeci carried out the modified heel hook method to perfection, forcing the Japanese icon to yield in ache.
Fan reactions have been really cut up after the bout. Most raved about Musumeci’s insane method and lauded him for submitting the architect of the submission together with his personal creation.
Some choose few, nevertheless, thought it was a tad disrespectful for the five-time IBJJF world champion to make use of Aoki’s transfer in opposition to him.
Musumeci not too long ago cleared the air in a Sports Illustrated interview, the place he mentioned what went down between him and ‘Tobikan Judan’ after the match.
Contrary to what others perceived, Aoki was really grateful to Musumeci for utilizing the ‘Aoki Lock’ on the grand stage. After all, it proved the method’s effectiveness at the highest stage, particularly since the American carried out it to its creator.
“After the battle, he thanked me for utilizing the transfer. To me, that reveals his contribution to martial arts. He thought the gesture was respectful. That’s how I supposed it. It was a extremely cool second.”
Apart from being arguably one in every of the finest grapplers in the world right this moment, Mikey Musumeci is little doubt one in every of the nicest guys in all of fight sports activities.
The Evolve MMA standout merely needed to honor the legendary Aoki by utilizing his transfer, and he even received the grasp’s seal of approval for it.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 15 is out there anytime on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
