Tammi Musumeci has her sights set on a huge future at ONE Championship that includes two titles and a rematch with an old opponent, Danielle Kelly, along the way. It might seem like a bold claim for someone who has only just had their debut for the promotion, but Musumeci is not like many other competitors. After all, she was already a three-time IBJJF no gi world champion by the time she was booked to make her promotional debut against Bianca Basilio. It was a very tough match for her first ONE Championship appearance but she managed to handle it in the end, winning a unanimous decision against Basilio. She recently spoke to the South China Morning Post to explain how she felt that match went:
“She kept disengaging, which made the fight harder for me and probably worse for the fans because if we had stayed in, one of us could have gotten to a position, or one of us could have gotten to a submission. So I think that was the disappointment there. But I mean, from my standpoint, I feel like I was able to get to some of my position, but then she kicked out or pushed me away. I tried my best… I feel if I get another opportunity with this, whenever I get it, I will definitely, especially if I fight someone who doesn’t run away, I’ll definitely get the sub.”
“I mean it’s one of those situations again where I did the best with the situation. But it also makes me feel pretty good because she is the best girl at 125. So hopefully, now, any matches I’ll have, that was the top. Now I’m very excited again to fight people with different styles because then I’ll be able to showcase my jiu-jitsu more.”
Given that ONE Championship has signed fighters with a ton of different backgrounds to compete in their submission grappling divisions, Musumeci will likely get her wish. There are Sambo world champions, Judo black belts, and veteran MMA fighters competing under the ruleset. While she’s eager to challenge herself against different styles, it’s all in service of the eventual goal of joining her brother Mikey Musumeci as a ONE Championship submission grappling world champion. She isn’t content with just one title though:
“My goal is to get the 125 and the 115 [belts]. It means so much to me… I’m very thankful to be a part of this. Just to fight in this, I’m very thankful. It’s just the highest level. Even meeting the athletes. They’re all super cool. And it’s just a cool group of people. So I’m very thankful to be here. But my goal eventually is to do the 115 and 125 belts.”
While Tammi Musumeci has one eye on challenges against new opponents in her next ONE Championship matches, she’s also got one eye on a rematch with Danielle Kelly too:
“I mean, I fought Danielle Kelly before, like, a year ago. I heard she wants to fight me. I mean, I’d be down for that. I could definitely make 115. I’ve made 115 in jiu-jitsu, and that’s where you literally weigh in, and then you fight right after. I like 125 a lot more because I like having muscles. I like eating a lot of pizza and getting to eat ice cream up until a week before. But for 115, I mean, I can definitely make that weight. It won’t be as fun as the 125 but at my height, I’m definitely probably built more for 115.”
The full interview with Tammi Musumeci where she discusses her recent ONE Championship win over Bianca Basilio and explains her goal for a rematch with Danielle Kelly was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the South China Morning Post:
