ONE Championship submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci seriously injured his most recent opponent.
At Saturday’s ONE 6 event in Bangkok, Thailand, the promotion’s current flyweight champion from Singapore faced Mongolian sambo expert Gantumur Bayanduuren in a 10-minute contest.
He spent most of that time attacking a leg lock and seemed to be on the edge of a submission win multiple times as his opponent’s knee twisted into uncomfortable positions. However, he was forced to settle for his unanimous decision victory when Bayanduuren refused to tap.
Bayanduuren probably regrets his choice to persevere through the pain. According to a source who spoke to the SCMP, Musumeci’s attempt at a leg lock left the Musumeci with a ruptured ACL, MCL, meniscus, and a fractured ankle. The defeated contender is anticipated to miss at least a year of competition due to such wounds.
The 26-year-old champion would have preferred that his opponent concede defeat. He stated in an Instagram post on Sunday, “I continued to apply breaking pressure on his leg about eight minutes straight.”
He said, “I literally felt every part of his knee rip like cardboard. This was the most disgusting feeling ever.”
Musumeci also warned other fighters to exercise caution before refusing to surrender to submissions after seeing the condition of his opponent’s leg.
He wrote, “My opponent unfortunately would not tap. This resulted in us seeing how damaging these leg locks can be. It’s always important to tap so you avoid surgery and a year recovery.”
When Bayanduuren left for Bangkok earlier this month, he had no idea that he would be returning to Mongolia with a seriously damaged leg and no belt in his baggage. The sambo expert seemed to be in high spirits despite this.
In his own Instagram post on the match, he added: “Oh well, I am going to take some time off of my training.”
“It was an honour sharing the cage with Mikey Musumeci. You seem not happy with the win via decision. I’d say that’s the only way to win. I will be back stronger.”
In September, Musumeci defeated Cleber Souza in a decision victory to claim the title. His victory against Bayanduuren marked his first successful title defence.