MIKEY “DARTH RIGATONI” MUSUMECI
(63-5)
ONE FLYWEIGHT SUBMISSION GRAPPLING WORLD CHAMPION
DIVISION: FLYWEIGHT SUBMISSION GRAPPLING | GYM: EVOLVE MMA
Location: Las Vegas, NV & Singapore | Hometown: Marlboro, NJ
- Mikey is regarded by many as the top American grappler in the world today.
- He was crowned the first-ever ONE Submission Grappling World Champion in September 2022.
- He is known for his unique diet consisting primarily of pizza and pasta.
- Mikey spends time training in Las Vegas, Thailand, and Singapore.
- He learned to speak Portuguese fluently while training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
- His older sister, Tammi Musumeci , also grapples and is 2-0 in ONE Championship.
- Mikey most recently submitted ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks and Japanese legend Shinya Aoki.
Mikey Musumeci started practicing BJJ at age 4 and never looked back. During his childhood, the prodigy would spend hours before and after school training jiu-jitsu techniques.
After winning numerous amateur IBJJF World Championships, he was awarded his black belt at the age of 18. In 2019, he made history with the fastest-ever submission in the final of an IBJJF World Championship when he tapped out his opponent with an ankle lock in 12 seconds.Musumeci would enter the record books again in September 2022, just five months after his successful ONE Championship debut, defeating longtime rival Cleber Sousa to win ONE’s first-ever Submission Grappling World Title.
While Musumeci’s last 14 outings have been wins, his last defeat came against Brazilian star Gabriel Sousa.
On June 7 at ONE 167, Musumeci will move up to bantamweight and aim for revenge against the promotional newcomer. He will follow that up with the biggest challenge of his life at ONE 168 in Denver— moving up three weight classes to challenge fellow BJJ phenom Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title.