Mikey Musumeci is now not the ONE Championship flyweight grappling champion after lacking weight for a match with Bebeto Oliveira on Friday’s ONE 168 occasion in Denver. Musumeci revealed Saturday he was hospitalized with pneumomediastinum.
Musumeci was initially slated to face Kade Ruotolo in a 170-pound contest, however Ruotolo introduced his withdrawal lower than every week earlier than the present as a consequence of harm. ONE then introduced that Musumeci would defend his flyweight title days later, chopping all the way in which all the way down to 135 kilos.
Musumeci missed weight and failed his hydration take a look at for ONE 168, and was stripped of the title.
“I’ve been within the hospital since early this morning,” Musumeci posted on social media Saturday. “I’ve pneumomediastinum, which implies I had a tear in my lung Wednesday I consider after I was chopping weight doing Rickson [Gracie] diaphragm respiration — didn’t know this was potential — and air obtained into my chest after which into my neck. This can be a life-threatening situation, and if I’d have competed, I might have died the physician instructed me. So first I used to be upset, now I’m filled with gratitude to be alive and that I didn’t hold pushing. God protected me.”
ONE confronted criticism for its resolution to strip Musumeci for lacking weight for a 135-pound match on days’ discover after making ready for a 170-pound contest, and ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong launched a press release to MMA Preventing revealing that it was Musumeci’s name to drop that weight after Ruotolo’s withdrawal.
“After current occasions, we really feel it’s obligatory to offer extra context on Mikey Musumeci’s withdrawal from the ONE 168: Denver card,” Sityodtong acknowledged. “Mikey was clearly put in a tough spot when Kade Ruotolo withdrew as a consequence of harm. When that occurred, we labored intently with him and his staff on a brand new opponent. Competing at flyweight was one thing he personally requested as he felt assured that he might make the hydrated restrict of 135 kilos for a world title protection. This isn’t one thing we pushed him to do on short-notice or would ever demand of a ONE athlete given how a lot we prioritize fighter security.
“After Mikey failed weight and hydration assessments on Thursday, he requested an openweight submission grappling contest towards Bebeto Oliveira, and we continued to work with him to try to hold him on the cardboard. He finally felt it was in his greatest curiosity to withdraw from the competition, and we’re honoring that.”
ONE Championship has but to announce who will compete for the now vacant flyweight grappling title.
