Mikey Musumeci is one of the biggest names in professional grappling and he is also one of a tiny number of competitors who have signed contracts with both the UFC and ONE Championship. He was actually one of the biggest stars of the ONE Championship submission grappling divisions for quite some time, as he was the very first world champion they ever crowned. He’s also moved up in weight a number of times throughout his time with the promotion and maintained his undefeated record regardless. That’s why it came as such a shock when he missed weight at ONE 168 and was stripped of his title.
It was a little under two months after that controversy that he announced that he would be leaving ONE Championship. It was another surprise for the fans, as Musumeci had been under contract with the promotion for over two years at that point. What came next was something that very few people would have predicted, as most had assumed that Musumeci would return to competing at the IBJJF World Championship. Instead, he became one of the first competitors to sign an exclusive contract with the UFC and might be the beginning of some huge moves the promotion is making in the grappling world.
In a recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani show, Mikey Musumeci explained the main reason behind his decision to leave ONE Championship for the UFC:
“I just wanted to be back home in the USA. I’m still good friends with Chatri (Sityodtong)… I have no hard feelings for ONE (Championship). How can I have hard feelings for an organization that helped me grow so much as a person?”
Although the move back home was clearly a big motivation for Musumeci, he also explained that the future of Jiu-Jitsu was something that factored into his decision too:
“I feel like it’s finally another platform that could expand our support to people that wouldn’t typically watch Jiu-Jitsu. We could really legitimize and professionalize our sport. I just want a legitimate professional platform for athletes to have for kids that are growing up, so then they could dream of being a professional Jiu-Jitsu person.”
Musumeci doesn’t have to wait long before he can prove himself either, as he will face Felipe Machado in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9. With just a matter of weeks left to go before he hits the mats for the first match of his contract, a lot of attention will be on both him and the promotion until then.
The full interview with Mikey Musumeci where he explains why he left ONE Championship for the UFC was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the Ariel Helwani Show:
