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ONE Championship grappling star and multi-time jiu-jitsu world champion Mikey Musumeci is something to behold on the mats. Having received his training under the guidance of Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns and Jonatas 'Tagarela' Gurgel, Musumeci pretty much dominated the lower weight divisions of the sport.
Musumeci is the 4th American to win gold in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) world championship at the black belt level. He is also the first American to do this more than twice. Musumeci did it a total of four times from 2017 to 2021. Some of his most notable wins were against Joao Miyao, Geo Martinez and Masakazu Imanari.
'Darth Rigatoni' is as high-level of a black belt as they come, employing and excelling at modern styles of jiu-jitsu such as the berimbolo and crab ride positions. This slick and inventive style allowed Musumeci to take his opponents' backs so smoothly.
Musumeci is no slouch when it comes to his top game either. Despite his deceptively skinny frame, the 26-year-old grappler seemingly employs a crushing passing game. It's not just crushing, but also widely inventive and innovative that it takes his foes by surprise.
In his ONE Championship debut against Japanese grappling legend Masakazu Imanari, Mikey Musumeci showcased his awesome passing technique. From the half-guard position, 'Darth Rigatoni' went for a knee cut pass but then marvelously switched it to a back-take. It was so smooth and swift that we had to look at it again to see what exactly happened.
From there, Musumeci sunk in a tight rear-naked choke for the finish, earning him the decisive win and a sweet $50,000 performance bonus from ONE. Now that he has successfuly made a debut in ONE Championship, let's look at possible future match-ups for the prodigious grappling talent.
We're going to limit this list to three possible opponents who are currently signed with ONE, so jiu-jitsu stars who are not yet (or yet to be) signed with the promotion will not be included. With that said, let's get on with the list.
#3 Mikey Musumeci vs. Kade/Tye Ruotolo
Now, this is a bit of a stretch as the Ruotolo brothers mostly compete at 170 pounds while the heaviest Musumeci has competed at was 141 pounds. Still, this doesn't mean he can't face either of the two in a catchweight bout.
At the moment, ONE hasn't signed a light featherweight (141 lbs) or roosterweight (127 lbs) grappler on its roster other than Musumeci.
Also, in jiu-jitsu tournaments, open weight brackets are normal. You frequently find fighters beating opponents 30 pounds heavier. As they say, it's always about technique over physical power.
If a match between Mikey Musumeci and either of the Ruotolo Brothers happens, however, that would be something to see. It would run at an unbelievable pace with submission attempts after submission attempts. Forget passing to different positions. Kade Ruotolo was seen attempting a guillotine choke from the back.
The Ruotolo brothers are known for their relentless attacking system and Mikey Musumeci has the pace, speed and technique to gladly match them.
#2 Mikey Musumeci vs. Garry Tonon
This is more likely to happen than the Ruotolo match. Former ONE featherweight title contender and jiu-jitsu legend Garry 'The Lion Killer' Tonon is an exciting matchup for Musumeci.
Fighting mostly at 155 pounds these days, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Tonon to face Musumeci at catchweight. If this bout happens, it will be a bonafide dream match.
Tonon is a 5-time Eddie Bravo Inivitational (EBI) lightweight champion and has won numerous gold medals in the ADCC, IBJJF Worlds and Pan American championships. His mastery of John Danaher's leglock, arm and back attack system made him a danger on all fronts. Musumeci, by and large, is quite the same. He just has a different system to get there.
A Musumeci vs. Tonon match will be a treat for fans as both grapplers aren't big on scoring points. They always hunt for the finish and expect a relentless pursuit of the tap from both sides. This will be jiu-jitsu at its most frenetic and exciting.
#1 Mikey Musumeci vs. Bibiano Fernandes
Since Musumeci soundly defeated grappling and MMA legend Masakazu Imanari in his ONE debut, how about facing another legend in his sophomore bout? Former ONE bantamweight champion and multi-time IBJJF World Gold Medalist Bibiano 'The Flash' Fernandes is perhaps the most perfect next opponent for Musumeci.
Fernandes is the same weight class as Mikey Musumeci and is of the old school ways of jiu-jitsu. Like Imanari, Fernandes is an older legend of the sport while Musumeci represents the new breed.
Although Fernandes has made a name for himself as one of the most dominant MMA champions in recent history, he was also one of the most successful jiu-jitsu specialists to transition to cagefighting.
It would be very interesting to see how Fernandes' strong and powerful fundamentals deal with Musumeci's wild Berimbolo and Crab Ride transitions. t will be traditional grappling fundamentals vs. the new-age of jiu-jitsu.
