Superstar Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete Mikey Musumeci has walked away from ONE Championship. This comes just weeks after the weight-cut controversy in his most recent scheduled match that led him to be stripped of his title.
Mikey Musumeci Leaves ONE Championship
“Darth Rigatoni” Mikey Musumeci is an American-Italian standout grappler in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who has collected impressive titles in IBJJF world championships. He recently reported on Instagram that he stepping away from ONE Championship leaving the organization behind. He wrote:
“END OF A CHAPTER OF MY LIFE – today I would like to announce I will no longer be living in Asia or competing under One Championship … These past three years I have had some of the best memories and lessons of my life! I met so many incredible people in Singapore and in Thailand … I was the first submission grappling world champion the organization ever had, and I had the platform and opportunity to help grow our sport of jiu jitsu to so many more people.
Some people speculate that the submission grappler is not happy with how he was treated in his last match. Musumeci was originally scheduled to face Kade Ruotolo at 170 lbs. However, Ruotolo withdrew due to injury. ONE Championship then asked Musumeci to defend his flyweight (135 lb) title against a replacement opponent, Bebeto Oliveira, on short notice. This required Musumeci to attempt to cut approximately 35 lbs in just 72 hours, which many considered an unreasonable and dangerous request.
Musumeci failed to make weight, coming in at 136 lbs, and also failed hydration tests. As a result, ONE Championship stripped Musumeci of his flyweight submission grappling title. The grappling community largely rallied behind Musumeci, criticizing ONE Championship for putting him in this difficult position. The incident led to significant backlash against ONE Championship’s weight-cutting and hydration policies.
Just weeks after this controversy, Mikey Musumeci announced he was leaving ONE Championship. The chief executive officer of ONE Chatri Sityodtong and ONE Championship has not made any official announcement regarding this news.
He made history in 2019 by securing the fastest submission ever in an IBJJF World Championship final, tapping out his opponent with an ankle lock in just 12 seconds. Since joining ONE, Musumeci has remained undefeated with a 7-0 record, including 5 submission victories. He has successfully defended his world title multiple times against high-level opponents.