"What he stands for with martial arts really moved me" - Mikey Musumeci on meeting ONE CEO

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Mikey Musumeci has always embodied the true values of martial arts. So when he eventually met ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, it felt like he was linking up with a kindred spirit who also upheld the same ideals that he has.

Musumeci, who holds five BJJ world titles, recently told Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he’s always wanted to meet Sityodtong and he finally did so when he moved to Singapore earlier this year.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ said Sityodtong’s approach both in life and in martial arts was what drew him into the ONE Championship chairman.

Mikey Musumeci said:

“So the last four months, I've been living in Singapore. I moved there to train at Evolve, which is the coolest gym I've ever been to in my life. It's huge. And like the facilities are amazing, and I moved there because I wanted to train and see Chatri, the owner of ONE Championship.”

He added:

“I met him one time, and he was like the most amazing person I've met, and like, he's a true martial artist. He loves jiujitsu and Muay Thai, and what he stands for with martial arts really moved me. And I moved to Singapore, changed continents, and I've been living there last four months.”

Musumeci not only moved to Singapore but he’s also gotten his first win under ONE Championship. The 26-year-old had an outstanding promotional debut when he submitted Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari with a rear-naked choke at ONE 156 this past April.

Catch a snippet of the interview below:

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Mikey Musumeci to fight for ONE submission grappling world title

Mikey Musumeci is already one of the top talents of his generation, but his martial arts journey is far from its peak.

During ONE Championship’s joint press conference with Amazon Prime Video in Los Angeles, Musumeci revealed that he’d be fighting for the first-ever ONE submission grappling world title.

Talking to members of the press, Musumeci said the world title fight would be later this year.

“I’m gonna be fighting October 1st [September 30 in North America] for the first belt in jiu-jitsu history in ONE, so I’m super honored for the opportunity to have the chance to become the first champion and I’m so excited.”