Mikey Musumeci has long been regarded as one of the best leglockers under IBJJF rules and it seems as though that might not be due to change just because of the recent addition of heelhooks for brown and black belts in no gi competition. Musumeci has never been known for competing in the more open rulesets like ADCC or fight-night events like F2W and has stuck to the IBJJF ruleset for his entire career, dominating with his mastery of the straight footlock, toehold, and kneebar. In fact, he’s the proud owner of the fastest submission at adult black belt level in the IBJJF World Championship finals thanks to his skills with the straight footlock.
Mikey Musumeci recently sat down with FloGrappling to talk about his thoughts on the addition of heelhooks to IBJJF competition and the young American seemed incredibly excited and interested for the change. He also explained that he sees the addition as something that can only be good for the development of the sport, and for the development of individual athletes. He brings up an excellent point that the best leglockers all have the ability to be positionally dominant, which is an asset under IBJJF rules where points often dictate the victory.
The rules have already been put in place and were used for the IBJJF Dallas Open just recently, where Stanley Rosa and Oliver Taza managed to register the first heelhook victories in the history of the organization. It seems like Musumeci is looking to get some practice in before he makes an appearance on the IBJJF circuit later in the year as well, as he’s already signed up to face off against Marcelo Cohen at the next Who’s Number One event. Will Musumeci continue to succeed when adapts to the new ruleset? Only time will tell!
