Mikey Musumeci successfully defended his ONE Championship flyweight submission grappling world title last Friday (January 13), against Gantumur Bayanduuren.
However, he wasn’t pleased with how the match turned out in the end.

Namely, during the vast majority of the match, Musumeci had a Heel Hook locked in.
But, even though he cranked the submission multiple times, he didn’t get the tap – but “just” an unanimous decision and a lot of injuries to his opponent’s leg.

Here’s what Musumeci had to say in a post-fight interview:

I’m kind of nauseous right now. I’m really sick to my stomach.

I never felt someone’s leg explode like that in a match. I’ve been training for 22 years I never broke someone’s leg that much.
I’ve broken a lot of legs but when that leg exploded, I didn’t know what to do and it’s just disgusting and gross.

I really wish he tapped. The result didn’t change and now he’s in the hospital. So I don’t know.
But what a warrior he is for showing his will.

Mikey didn’t know what to do exactly:

The problem was I kept popping his leg, so I felt like how do I stop doing this move and it keeps popping? I looked at my corner, they’re like: “Two minutes left”, and I’m like – screw it.
I let go and then I took his back.

I should have probably done that earlier. But how do I go again, if I keep doing damage to a certain leg?
I definitely have never been in that exact scenario. So it was new for me, for sure.

Bayanduuren suffered multiple injuries and is looking at around a 12-month recovery time:

Gantumur Bayanduuren suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus, and a broken ankle, in that leg lock by Mikey Musumeci.

No official recovery timetable, but it’s estimated to be around 12 months.

Mikey said he felt everything “rip like cardboard”.#ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/fV6YJz5yTY

— Nicolas Atkin (@NicoSCMP) January 17, 2023

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