Mikey Musumeci wants to reach ‘purple belt status’ in Muay Thai before considering MMA: “I'm in no rush”

While BJJ black belt Mikey Musumeci is a true master of all things grappling, he admits he’s still a white belt in the striking arts.

As such, the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion has no illusions that he could make a transition to mixed martial arts and expect to thrive right away. Musumeci has left a trail of torn ligaments and broken bones in his wake, going 6-0 in grappling-exclusive matches under the ONE banner.

Given his dominance, most fans and pundits alike often wonder if his BJJ wizardry will carry over to MMA. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ has been open to the idea for quite some time now and has teased fans with clips of him training in Muay Thai to shore up his striking.

The Evolve MMA superstar even learned ‘The Art of Eight Limbs’ straight from its source in Thailand and even trained with some of the best in the world, including Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Nong-O Hama.

While he’s slowly beginning to understand the intricacies of striking, don’t expect Musumeci to bite the bullet and lace the four-ounce gloves anytime soon.

Musumeci shared in a recent interview with The South China Morning Post:

“It’s definitely something I would love to do in the future. I'm 27 and I'm really healthy, I'm in no rush. I'll do it just like I do jiu-jitsu, I’m a perfectionist, right? So I’d probably think I’d do it when I'm a decent blue belt, purple belt, I would consider it, you know. I still consider myself a white belt so I'll see how fast I progress and once I'm ready like yeah I would love to you know give it a try.”

Mikey Musumeci is a fast learner and a true martial artist at heart, so it won’t be a surprise if he also excels in the art if he continues to train in the coming years.

For now, let’s enjoy ‘Darth Rigatoni’s brilliance in submission grappling as he defends his throne against all possible invaders.

Watch Mikey Musumeci's full SCMP MMA interview below: