SUMMARY
- Mikey Musumeci is one of the biggest superstars in ONE Championship.
- "Darth Rigatoni" is the current ONE grappling champion.
ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci hasn’t completely ruled out the prospect of returning to competing in gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
BJJ in the gi is the traditional form of the sport, and “Darth Rigatoni” is one of the world’s best at it, with four IBJJF World Titles to his credit in addition to one World Title in no-gi competition.
The 27-year-old has since swapped the gi game for ONE Championship’s innovative submission grappling rule set that includes no gi, a 10-minute time limit, and judges at Circle-side.
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Musumeci made his ONE debut in 2022 and became the inaugural flyweight submission grappling king later that year. The American star has repeatedly hinted at an impending fight announcement, and he doubled down on the cryptic clues when quizzed in a recent Q and A on his Instagram page.
“April it will be and it will be my biggest/hardest match in no gi I have ever done 💓. Can’t wait to share it with you guys,” he wrote.
The wait goes on for Musumeci’s global fan base, as no announcement has been made by the promotion as yet.
Mikey Musumeci teases possible return to gi BJJ
So, would Mikey Musumeci return to BJJ competition in the gi? A fan asked him just that in the same Q and A session.
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“I won every title there is possible in the gi and there’s no money unfortunately :(,” he wrote. “So, it’s hard to prioritize competing in the gi at the moment! What’s sad is that I am significantly better than I was in the gi now than when I competed in it (my last world title I won in 2021). Maybe I will return one day for fun. Gi is still in my heart. 💓.”
Whether his heart is in the gi or out of it, it appears that things are going too well for Musumeci to look back. The Evolve MMA representative recently revealed on his Instagram, alongside ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion and close friend Rodtang Jitmuangnon, that 2023 was a “seven figure.” His fame has increased so much that he was recently seen having an online feud with controversial streamer, Sneako.
