The doctor who treated Gantumur Bayanduuren’s injuries from a leg lock by, Mikey Musumeci, said they were similar to those from a motorcycle accident, according to Chatri Sityodtong of ONE Championship. It’s shocking to hear that Bayanduuren tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his left knee and suffered a broken ankle, yet still managed to walk out of the Circle at Impact Arena. Musumeci even stated that he felt Bayanduuren’s knee rip like cardboard during the eight-minute leg lock attempt at the ONE Fight Night 6 card in Bangkok last Saturday.
The doctor at the hospital described Gantumur’s injury as akin to a motorcycle accident, where the leg completely detaches. That’s how bad the knee was – meaning he completely ripped off his MCL, LCL, ACL and meniscus, nothing was holding the knee together except muscle, and the ankle was broken. The doctor at the hospital said it was a catastrophic injury that was potentially career-ending. I don’t know if he’s out for a year or if he’s out forever.
Chatri Sityodtong
Mikey Musumeci Talks Post Fight
In Friday’s ONE Championship flyweight submission grappling world title match, defending champion Mikey Musumeci emerged victorious against challenger Gantumur Bayanduuren. However, the victory has been overshadowed by the severe injuries sustained by Bayanduuren during the majority of the match, in which Musumeci had a heel hook locked in. Despite cranking the submission multiple times, Bayanduuren refused to tap out, leading to a unanimous decision victory for Musumeci.
In his post-fight interview, Mikey Musumeci said
“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.”
“During the match, Musumeci was aware that the damage sustained by Bayanduuren was severe, but he had no idea what to do
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”
This incident raises serious concerns about the safety of competitors in grappling matches. The question must be asked, should the referee have intervened to stop the match? Similar to MMA, if a competitor is unable to defend themselves and is suffering potentially life-threatening injuries, officials have the authority to stop the match and declare a TKO. This unfortunate event may lead to a revaluation of the rules in grappling competitions under ONE Championship, with the potential for significant changes to be implemented for the safety of all competitors.
