Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci collected yet another scalp this weekend at ONE Fight Night 15 when he submitted MMA and jiu-jitsu legend Shinya Aoki via Shinya’s very own signature “Aoki lock.” Darth Rigatoni captured his opponent’s foot less than three minutes into the bout, and got the tap almost immediately.
While Aoki is more than a decade Musumeci’s senior, it’s worth noting that Musumeci succeeded in submitting Aoki where other highly successful young grapplers — including reigning ADCC king and ONE submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo, who sits two weight classes above Mikey — have previously failed.
“The position I hit is called an Aoki lock,” Musumeci explained in a post-fight interview on the canvas. “It’s a modified heel hook, but I learned this position from Shinya Aoki. It’s his submission that he invented.
“When I think of what a master of jiu-jitsu is, it’s somebody that inspires another generation — and then they’re doing the positions that you created. Shinya deserves so much credit. I did his move on him, so that’s like a master to student. He’s an idol of mine for being forty years old, and still competing, and challenging himself. That’s a champion.”
