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ONE submission grappling sensation Mikey Musumeci is living the life right now.
He’s in peak athletic performance, competing at the highest level of the sport he loves, all the while still eating food he enjoys on a daily basis. It may sound too good to be true, but that’s the reality for the 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace.
Most fighters often go to great lengths to follow restrictive diets just to gain a competitive advantage. Food, after all, is considered fuel for them to perform at their best. They also have to watch what they eat since they have to make weight for their fights.
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‘Darth Rigatoni’, however, marches to the beat of his own drum and follows a rather unconventional eating program. The five-time IBJFF black belt world champion only consumes one large meal a day, and that’s usually before he goes to bed at night.
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After hours and hours of training on an empty stomach, Mikey Musumeci goes home and devours to his heart’s content. His diet largely consists of two things: pizza and pasta. Who knew that one of the most decorated grapplers in the world eats like the rest of us?
Ahead of his bout with Cleber ‘Clandestiono’ Sousa for the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship at ONE on Prime Video 2, Musumeci told ONE about his unique feasting habits.
He shared:
“The first thing I do when I wake up, I train, and then I drink electrolytes and caffeine. So like half a gallon of water or just electrolytes and caffeine, which is very filling because it’s a lot of liquid, right? And then I’ll just drink another caffeine a little later. I’ll train again. And then it’s already nighttime, and you’re ready to eat.
The American-born BJJ specialist added:
“So then the day goes really fast, and you’re not hungry all day, and then you eat a huge meal at night. And then you wake up in the morning already full. So it’s actually not hard to do if you do it like that, I think.”
Mikey Musumeci’s diet helps him stay on top of his game
Mikey Musumeci’s carb-heavy diet may seem mind-boggling for nutritionists everywhere, but it clearly works for him.
‘Darth Rigatoni’ is still a lean and mean grappling machine who burns off those extra calories through his grueling training sessions.
He told ONE:
“I just want to enjoy each meal I have on this earth. You know, like, I just enjoy life. I really enjoy what I eat, and it’s not affecting my weight. And I’ve had blood tests, and all my blood numbers are amazing. I don’t have high cholesterol or anything. So it works.”
Mikey Musumeci added that he also tried every diet in the book before deciding to stick with his comfort food.
He shared:
“It used to be for me – I would diet for like two weeks, eating nothing. And then I’d have a cheat day of getting to eat pizza or pasta. But then every day became a cheat day for me.”
True enough, Mikey Musumeci has never felt better, and the results clearly showed when he submitted Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari at ONE 156 this past April.
