Tammi Musumeci Opens Up On Anxiety Issues, Criticizes Own Performance Despite Win

ONE Championship women's strawweight submission grappler Tammi Musumeci came away victorious at ONE Fight Night 12 and, that does not mean that the road towards getting the victory was an easy one.

Speaking to the press following the event held at the hallowed grounds of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Musumeci bared her mental state entering the match against Amanda Alequin.

"I don't know if it was from anxiety, but I did feel like I had a bunch of weight on my chest which made it hard to breathe [for] most of the match. It's probably anxiety and nerves. Definitely for my next fight whatever it is, I'm definitely going to try to work on getting through that," Musumeci revealed.

To the many fans watching the event, Musumeci did not look like she was struggling with her mental health at the time as she put on another rousing show at the expense of Alequin.

Musumeci took advantage of the bout as soon as the Ecuadorian-American dropped down for a takedown, locking in a guillotine submission attempt that set the tone for the entire contest.

Both women were able to have their shining moments, though Musumeci's aggression for the better part of the 10-minute affair, featuring a near rear-naked choke finish in the final few seconds, saw the judges unanimously awarding her the victory.

For Musumeci, while a victory is very much appreciated, how she got it was something that she was not entirely a fan of.

"I am happy I was able to get to some positions I did like get to a guillotine... and then I took the back at the end which I was really happy about, but I definitely did not meet my expectations. I probably performed maybe 20, 30 percent of my ability," Musumeci later told the press.

"I felt really bad because I felt like I was able to win and I was more aggressive, but I wasn't able to do pretty much any jiu-jitsu. It did feel good to have someone attacking and they definitely have a ton to work on. She definitely was aggressive. She felt strong, definitely."

Prior to her bout with Alequin, Musumeci's debut saw her go up against 2019 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion Bianca Basilio, whom she also defeated by unanimous decision back in March at ONE Fight Night 8.

Much like younger brother and current ONE flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci, the 29-year-old is hoping she can produce a much more compelling finish in her next foray on the ONE Championship stage.