In mid-February, Caio Terra put up $10,000 of his own money to any high-level black belt who could defeat his teammate and student Mikey Musumeci following Musumeci’s impressive performance in the open weight division at Euros. After a few days of speculation and suggestions, Erberth Santos was tentatively announced as the $10,000 challenger, with Musumeci first sharing the news on FloGrappling’s Who’s Number One (WNO) podcast. Details, however, were still sparse, and the “when” and “where” of the match remained a mystery until today.
Now, Who’s Number One has announced that Musumeci vs. Santos will go down at their second event, which will take place in Austin, Texas. The match will serve as the main event for the card, which will also include Manuel Ribamar vs. Matheus Diniz, Nathiely de Jesus vs. Ana Carolina Vieira, and Andressa Cintra vs. Luanna Alzuguir among the black belt matches.
The Musumeci vs. Santos match has raised a few eyebrows since the pairing was first announced back in February. While the large size difference provides the test that Terra, Musumeci, and fans had been hoping for (Musumeci competes between 57-70kg, while Santos rarely competes below 90kg), some followers have expressed concerns that Santos’ previously displayed behavior (which includes withdrawing from matches and seeming to quit mid-match) will sour the opportunity. If the match continues on as planned, though, this could be an excellent battle to see if technique can truly conquer size.
WNO 2 will take place on March 28 at the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, TX. Those who can’t watch the event in person can stream it live on FloGrappling.
