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#2. ONE Championship's jiu-jitsu geek, Mikey 'Darth Rigatoni' Musumeci
If you see Mikey Musumeci on the street in casual clothing, you'd probably think that he's some IT guy or a dude who reads more books in a week than you do in your life. Not that there's anything wrong with being a bookworm or a man working in the IT industry, but it would probably never occur to you that Musumeci is a world-class grappling genius.
This unassuming-looking lad is a jiu-jitsu black belt at the highest level, representing the modern iteration of the sport. Musumeci is an expert on the berimbolo and crab ride positions, bewildering his opponents with his weird and unorthodox attacks. The 26-year-old grappling nerd also made a name for himself in the lower weight classes of jiu-jitsu, utterly dominating anyone in his bracket.
'Darth Rigatoni' is the only fourth American to win a gold medal in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) world championship at the black belt level. He was also the first North American to do so more than twice, achieving the feat four times.
In his ONE Championship debut, Musumeci steamrolled a grappling legend in Mazakazu Imanari. The young lion made the old-school grappling icon look like he didn't know what he was doing.
It's quite impressive and eye-opening to the fact that jiu-jitsu evolves so rapidly that it's getting harder and harder to catch up to the new techniques. Musumeci is ahead of the curb.
#1. Jiu-jitsu legend Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida
We've said this before and we'll keep saying it: there are world-class black belts, and then there's 'Buchecha'.
Considered to be the most accomplished jiu-jitsu competitor in history, Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is a 17-time jiu-jitsu world champion who has beaten everyone there is to beat in the sport.
This absolute legend has 138 wins in submission grappling with 72 submissions under his belt. He got so iconic that people just called him by one name, 'Buchecha', like Madonna and Adele. Just hearing his name can send shivers down any grappler's spine.
Listing down all the achievements and notable wins Almeida had in submission grappling would take all day. After winning pretty much every major gold medal in jiu-jitsu, the BJJ icon brought his skills to MMA.
Currently signed to ONE Championship's heavyweight division, 'Buchecha' has run roughshod in his first three outings, compiling a three-fight winning streak that all ended in the first round. 'Buchecha' brought his signature blast double leg and otherworldly top pressure and passing game inside the ONE Championship circle and none so far have been able to handle it.
