ONEâs reigning flyweight submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci was heavily favored entering his title defense against Mongolian combat sambo star Gantumur Bayanduuren â and while a victory by âDarth Rigatoniâ seemed almost an inevitability, Bayanduuren displayed a shocking refusal to tap to multiple fully-locked leg attacks.
Musumeci pulled guard immediately. While Bayanduuren attempted to take control of the situation by forcing the champion up against the cage â prompting the referee to stand both athletes back up â as soon as the bout hit the ground again, Musumeci entered a leg entanglement, catching his patented Mikey lock. When a visibly wincing Bayanduuren mounted a desperate defense, Musumeci transitioned through several other attacks on that same leg, including knee bars and heel hooks, none of which the Mongolian seemed willing to tap to.
In the final minutes of the bout, Musumeci took the back of the sambo star, attempting both a calf slicer and a rear-naked choke, before time was called. Ultimately, Musumeciâs obvious control of almost all ten minutes of the bout still won him his belt â but he looked visibly disappointed, and more than a little surprised at the Mongolianâs unwillingness to tap out.
Bayanduuren, however, may have paid the price for his stubbornness; the Mongolian was seen limping gingerly across the canvas after the bout, clearly favoring the leg that Darth Rigatoni had attacked.
âHis leg popped like twenty times,â Musumeci confirmed in a post-fight interview on the canvas. âI never felt someoneâs leg explode like that, but he didnât tap, so the fight kept going.â
When asked why he didnât switch things up sooner, Musumeci explained, âHis leg kept popping, so I felt like, âHow do I let go of a submission that keeps popping?ââ
In a post-fight press conference, Musumeci expressed both frustration at being put in a position where he was forced to injure his opponent, and admiration for Bayanduurenâs spirit. âI really wish he tapped,â said the champion. âThe result didnât change, and now heâs in the hospital. But what a warrior, for showing his will.â
âWhen I compete, I donât want to hurt anyone. I want them to train tomorrow,â he added. It was an ironic situation in some ways: according to Musumeci, in over twenty years of training, heâs never broken someoneâs leg so thoroughly â but heâs also never experienced an opponent who wouldnât tap to that level of damage. âIâm nauseous, thinking about it,â admitted Musumeci.
If he were to turn back time, how might he have approached the match differently? The championâs answer was immediate: âIâd just take his back and put him to sleep.â
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