Mikey Musumeci is an American jiu-jitsu competitor from New Jersey and one of the most successful lightweights of his generation. He won four IBJJF World titles at black belt, then built a second career in professional grappling as the first flyweight submission grappling champion in ONE Championship and the first bantamweight champion of UFC BJJ.
Background and lineage
Musumeci started training at four at Fatjo's Martial Arts Academy, after his family moved to Florida. He won juvenile, purple and brown belt world titles. Guilherme Mendes gave him his brown belt on the Worlds podium in 2014, and Gilbert Burns promoted him to black belt in 2015, at 18. That puts him in the Carlson Gracie line through André Pederneiras. He has trained with the Mendes brothers, Caio Terra, Pedigo Submission Fighting and Evolve MMA, and since 2024 with Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles, who awarded his third degree.
Competition highlights
- IBJJF World Championship (gi): black belt gold in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, at roosterweight or light featherweight. Wikipedia notes he was the first American to win more than one black belt world title.
- IBJJF World No-Gi: champion in 2016.
- ONE Championship: inaugural flyweight submission grappling champion in October 2022, with three defenses before he was stripped of the title in September 2024.
- UFC BJJ: inaugural bantamweight champion in June 2025, with a heel hook win over Rerisson Gabriel. After a decision win over UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell at UFC BJJ 11 in September 2026, he told EssentiallySports he was aiming to make his MMA debut at flyweight before the end of the year, though no fight had been booked. He vacated the belt in October 2026 to focus on MMA.
Style and signature techniques
In the gi, Musumeci is known for a berimbolo game from open guards such as De La Riva. In no-gi he is best known for leg locks. His variation of the heel hook, first used on Richard Alarcon at WNO in 2021, became known as the "Mikey lock". He has also finished elite opponents with the rear naked choke, armbar, calf slicer and an Aoki lock (a straight ankle lock variation) on Shinya Aoki himself.
Notable matches
- Masakazu Imanari, ONE 156 (2022): a rear naked choke on the leg-lock pioneer that earned a $50,000 bonus.
- Shinya Aoki, ONE Fight Night 15 (2023): a submission with the Japanese legend's own namesake lock.
- Jarred Brooks, ONE (2023): an armbar finish in a title defense.
- Rerisson Gabriel, UFC BJJ 1 (2025): a heel hook for the first UFC BJJ title.
- Bryce Mitchell, UFC BJJ 11 (2026): a unanimous decision over the UFC fighter in a non-title headliner.
His recorded losses are few. João Gabriel Sousa submitted him at WNO in 2021, and Mahamed Aly beat him on a decision at the 2020 Europeans.
Away from the mats
Musumeci's "Darth Rigatoni" nickname came from a fan and nods to his love of Star Wars, and he signed a partnership with Meta in 2023. Our heel hook and berimbolo pages cover the techniques his game is known for.