Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki hopes to put forth dazzling performance against Mikey Musumeci

Shinya Aoki stands on the precipice of an extraordinary encounter against Mikey Musumeci.

Both men will collide in an openweight submission grappling contest at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video. The match airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, October 6.

For Aoki, it’s a chance to test his skills against one of the best grapplers in the world. However, it’s a daunting challenge that he readily embraces.

“I am really looking forward to the match on October 6 against Mikey Musumeci, and I am excited to meet him in the ring in Thailand,” he said.

“I hope we can make a good 10 minutes for both of us. So, see you then, Mikey.”

Musumeci, the reigning ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion, evidently holds the upper hand in this domain.

However, that doesn’t deter Aoki. Instead, it motivates him to aim for an upset victory.

“In this match, I won’t apply psychological techniques or cheap tricks. I will just get in the ring wearing only my pants and give a performance to show who I am,” he said.

Once the bell rings, the former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion is resolute in applying relentless pressure on his high-caliber opponent.

“It will be a match where we will forcefully fight each other. I am determined to do my best against him,” he said.

Shinya Aoki looks to capitalize on grappling rule set

As a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo, Shinya Aoki has earned a reputation for his aggressive submission game in MMA.

While his upcoming bout against Mikey Musumeci may not be an MMA contest, Aoki feels it offers him many ways to execute different techniques.

“The difference between MMA and submission grappling is that MMA has strikes, so we could get hit, so we’ll go with positions where we don’t get hit,” he said.

“But with grappling, we don’t have strikes, so we have more choices of position than we do in MMA.”