Tammi Musumeci made her ONE Championship debut in a strawweight submission grappling contest against Bianca Basilio at ONE Fight Night 8 and walked away with a unanimous decision win at the end of the competitive 10-minute affair.
But it was not the most satisfying performance for the American, as she wanted to be aggressive and score a finish.
“I kind of put myself on the wall to try to get her to engage. They said I would be able to jump guard. And then, once we got to the ground, every time I grabbed her leg, she would jump out of it. So that was the only thing,” Musumeci said, following the match.
“I tried my best. I really want to get out there again. I really enjoy being in there. I even told her before that this is pretty cool. But I really want to fight again.”
The 28-year-old star officially joined her brother, ONE flyweight submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci, on the Singapore-based promotion’s roster last Friday, Mar. 24, and he was in her corner for her debut.
Regardless of the result of the match, stepping into the bright lights of ONE’s global stage for the first time was a special experience for Musumeci – one that she will not soon forgot.
“It felt really good. It felt surreal being out there. This whole experience, it felt weird, like it’s not real. And it’s funny. I’m more of the type that really appreciated it. I was able to show some pretty cool stuff,” she said.
Although Musumeci has won world championships throughout her time on the mats, her ONE debut put pressure on her shoulders.
To prepared for the moment, the American grappling star says she trained harder than she has ever before. And although the submission didn’t come on this occasion, she is excited for what the future holds.
“This is the hardest I’ve ever trained for anything. Even when I’ve won worlds and everything, this is the hardest. I would train three times a day, do some kind of training three times a day for this, and work. I literally had no social life this time. I trained a lot of moves, but I didn’t get to use them. I got to get to some positions in the beginning, but I think that kind of scared her when I got to those leg entanglement positions. But yeah, it’s just one of those matches,” Musumeci said.
“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.”