Michael Musumeci Jr. (born July 7, 1996) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt competitor. A four-time World Champion and Pan American Champion in colored belts, Musumeci is a five-time IBJJF black belt World Champion (four times in Gi and once in No-Gi), and the first American to win more than one IBJJF World title at black belt. He competed in

ONE Championship ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...

where he was the flyweight submission grappling champion.

Early life

Michael Musumeci Jr. was born in Marlboro, New Jersey on July 7, 1996. Musumeci is of Italian ancestry. He began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) at age 4 along with his sister Tammi at ''Fatjo's Martial Arts Academy'' under coach Fernando "Cabeça". When he was 10 his family moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. While training at various academies, he met brothers Rafael and Guilherme Mendes of Art of Jiu Jitsu (AOJ) during a seminar, starting a long relationship with the brothers and their academy. Starting at juvenile blue belt, Musumeci won IBJJF world championships at every belt level. In 2014 Guilherme Mendes awarded him his brown belt right after his 2014 purple belt world title while on the podium. In 2015 aged 18, Musumeci received his black belt from Gilbert Burns.

Black belt career

The following year Musumeci won the 2016 Pan American Championship at roosterweight followed by the World No-Gi Championship. In 2016 he switched teams joining Caio Terra's association. In 2017 Musumeci won the UAEJJF World Pro at black belt in the 62 kg weight class. In 2017 he won the World Championship in the Lightfeather division. In 2018 Musumeci became World Champion for the second time. Fighting in a lower weight division he won the World Championship two more times in 2019 and 2021.

2021

Musumeci made his Who's Number One debut on March 26, 2021, where he submitted Marcelo Cohen with an armbar from the triangle choke position. On May 28, 2021 Musumeci returned to WNO, submitting Lucas Pinheiro with a heelhook. Musumeci's third WNO match was against Edwin 'Junny' Ocasio on June 18, 2021, and Musumeci won the bout by unanimous decision. Musumeci was then invited to compete in the inaugural WNO Championships event, taking part in the tournament for the promotion's Lightweight title. Musumeci faced Gabriel Sousa in the opening round and was submitted by north-south choke, removing him from the competition. Musumeci then competed for the inaugural WNO Bantamweight title on October 20, 2021. He submitted Richard Alarcon with a leglock that has since been dubbed 'The Mikey Lock', and won the belt. Musumeci was scheduled to make his ADCC debut at the

2022 ADCC World Championship The 2022 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 17–18 September 2022. Background The ADCC World Championship is a sub ...

after receiving an invite to the event. During the build-up, the promotion staged their first 'Road to ADCC' event on July 17, 2021 where Musumeci faced fellow ADCC 2022 competitor Geo Martinez, beating him 6-0 on points. After the conclusion of the match, both Martinez and his coach

Eddie Bravo Edgar Bravo (Birth name, né Cano; born May 15, 1970) is an American martial arts instructor, podcaster, stand-up comedian, and musician. After earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003, Bravo began teaching his own self-developed styl ...

confronted Musumeci as they exchanged heated words on the mat. He was forced to withdraw from ADCC 2022 as a result of injury, but has since called for a rematch with Martinez regardless. The pair were originally scheduled for a rematch on March 25, 2021, but the match was postponed and did not come to fruition. At the end of 2021, Musumeci and his sister Tammi both changed gyms and joined Pedigo Submission Fighting to train under Heath Pedigo.

2022

Musumeci defended the WNO Bantamweight title against Estevan Martinez on January 21, 2022, winning by unanimous decision. Soon after, he signed with

. After signing with ONE Championship, Musumeci switched gyms once again and moved to Singapore to train at Evolve MMA. After signing with ONE Championship, Musumeci faced

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Pancrase, PRIDE F ...

in a grappling bout at ONE 156 on April 22, 2022. He submitted Imanari by the way of rear-naked choke, and won the $50,000 'Performance of the Night' bonus as a result. Musumeci faced Cleber Sousa for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship on October 1, 2022, at ONE on Prime Video 2. Musumeci won the match and the belt via unanimous decision at the end of the 10 minutes.

2023

Musumeci was scheduled to make his first title defense against Sayan Khertek on January 14, 2023, at ONE on Prime Video 6. However, Khertek forced to withdraw due to injury and was replaced by Gantumur Bayanduuren. Musumeci defeated Bayanduuren by unanimous decision and retained his title. It came to light afterward that Bayanduuren suffered several severe injuries to his leg as a result of submission attempts by Musumeci during the match. Musumeci was scheduled to make his second title defense against Osamah Almarwai at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5, 2023. He won the match by rear-naked choke at 8:03 and retained the flyweight title. Musumeci defended his flyweight submission grappling title against

Jarred Brooks Jarred Brooks Ford (born May 2, 1993) known professionally as Jarred Brooks, is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Strawweight World Champion and former Interim ONE ...

at ONE Fight Night 13 on August 5, 2023. He won the match with an armbar and retained his title. Musumeci competed against

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler competing in ONE Championship's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT Extreme Champion. A professional competit ...

in an openweight grappling match at

ONE Fight Night 15 ''ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on October 7, 2023, at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Background A ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship b ...

on October 6, 2023. He won the match by submission, with an Aoki lock.

2024

In February, 2024, Musumeci announced that he was leaving Pedigo Submission Fighting and would be joining Cobrinha BJJ to train under Rubens Charles Maciel. Musumeci competed against Gabriel Sousa in a bantamweight match at ONE 167 on June 7, 2024. He won the match by submission. Musumeci was booked to compete in a superfight at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational on August 16-17. However, the match fell through and was cancelled. Musumeci was set to challenge Kade Ruotolo for his ONE lightweight submission grappling title on September 6, 2024, at ONE 168: Denver. However, on September 1, it was announced that Ruotolo had withdrawn from the bout due to injury. On November 2, 2024, Musumeci announced that he was no longer going to compete in

. Musumeci then signed an exclusive contract with

UFC Fight Pass UFC Fight Pass is an American subscription-based video streaming service owned by the UFC's parent company, TKO Group Holdings, that launched in December 2013. History Fight Pass showcases live and on-demand mixed martial arts, submission grap ...

and made his debut in the main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 on December 5, 2024 against Felipe Machado. He won the match by decision.

Personal life

Musumeci is of Italian descent. He is a Star Wars fan and started using the nickname 'Darth Rigatoni' to reference both that and his love of pasta after a fan came up with the idea. His sister, Tammi Musumeci, is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor. On November 5, 2023, Musumeci announced a partnership deal with

Meta Meta most commonly refers to: * Meta (prefix), a common affix and word in English ( in Greek) * Meta Platforms, an American multinational technology conglomerate (formerly ''Facebook, Inc.'') Meta or META may also refer to: Businesses * Meta (ac ...

Accomplishments

Main Achievements (Black Belt) * World record holder for fastest submission in an IBJJF world championship adult black belt final. * IBJJF World Champion (2021 / 2019 / 2018/2017) * IBJJF Pan American Champion (2016) * IBJJF European Open Champion (2020 / 2017) * IBJJF American National Champion (2016/2015) * IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2016) * UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Champion (2017) * UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam LA Champion (2016) * ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship (One time; current) (3 Defense) ** Performance of the Night (Five times) , and

, and Gabriel Sousa * Most wins in

One Championship ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...

grappling (7) * Most title defenses in

Submission Grappling grappling (3) Main Achievements (Colored Belts) * IBJJF World Champion (2015 brown, 2014 purple, 2013/2012 juvenile blue) * IBJJF Pan American Champion (2015 brown, 2014 purple, 2013/2012 juvenile blue) * IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2011 blue juvenile) * IBJJF Pan American NoGi Champion (2011 blue juvenile)

Career record

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Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

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ONE Fight Night 6 ''ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on January 14, 2023, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Background The event marked the promotion's sixteen visit to Bangko ...

, January 14, 2023 ,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 18–2 , Cleber Souza , Decision (unanimous) , ONE on Prime Video 2 , October 1, 2022 ,

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 17–2 ,

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, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 16–2 , Estevan Martinez , Decision (unanimous) , Who's #1: Craig Jones vs. Pedro Marinho , January 21, 2022 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 15–2 , Bruno Malfacine , Decision (points) , IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship: Finals , December 12, 2021 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 14–2 , Richard Alarcon , Submission (leg lock) , Who's #1: The Return of Gordon Ryan , October 20, 2021 ,

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

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, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 10–1 , Marcelo Cohen , Submission (triangle armbar) , Who's #1: Gordon Ryan vs. Vagner Rocha , March 26, 2021 ,

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Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 9–0 , Francisco Jonas Andrade , Decision (split) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 8–0 , Diego Oliveria Batista , Submission (straight ankle lock) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 7–0 , Suraj Budhram , Submission (arm-in ezekiel choke) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 6–0 , Joseph Lee , Submission (omoplata) , World Jiu Jitsu Festival: Day 1 , October 5, 2019 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 5–0 , Rodnei Barbosa , Submission (straight ankle lock) , rowspan=3, 2019 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship , rowspan=3, June 2, 2019 , rowspan=3,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 4–0 , Bruno Malfacine , Decision (Points) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 3-0 , Koji Shibamoto , Decision (Points) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 2–0 , Ary Farias , Decision , 2018 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship , June 3, 2018 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 1–0 , João Miyao , Decision , 2017 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship , June 4, 2017 ,

, - , colspan=8 style="text-align:center;" , Source , -

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musumeci, Mikey 1996 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from Marlboro Township, New Jersey World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists Submission grapplers ONE Championship champions American people of Italian descent Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey ONE Championship submission grapplers