ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci is famous for his love of
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and his meticulous approach to the art, but there is another sport that has won his
heart.
While waiting for a flight back to his native United States for Thanksgiving, “Darth Rigatoni” took to
Instagram on November 3 to invite fans to ask him questions to fill in the time.
One fan responded by asking which martial art was the best other than BJJ, and the 27-year-old's
answer was somewhat surprising.
“Personally, for myself, I love Muay Thai. I think it’s just as much fun as jiu jitsu, but you just die
more. It’s more pain too,” he said.
Mikey Musumeci is getting ready to try his hands at MMA
Mikey Musumeci’s preferred striking art may have raised some eyebrows, but the submission ace’s
eagle-eyed fans will know that he has been cross-training in Muay Thai as he ponders a potential
move to mixed martial arts.
The four-time IBJJF World Champion has been seen sharpening his tools in “the art of eight limbs”
under the watchful eye of former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama in
recent times.
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In fact, Musumeci now splits his time between Singapore and Thailand in a bid to construct a well-
rounded MMA skill set.
Musumeci has been the poster boy for ONE Championship’s introduction of submission grappling
into its multi-discipline martial arts events.
The New Jersey native claimed the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title in just
his second promotional appearance with a dominant decision win over old foe Cleber Sousa in
September 2022.
He has since gone on to defend the 26-pound gold belt on three occasions and was last seen
submitting Japanese legend and former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya Aoki at ONE
Fight Night 15 in October.