Mikey Musumeci Eyes MMA Move Next After Bryce Mitchell Win

Mikey Musumeci is ready to trade the mats for the MMA cage. After an entertaining crossover BJJ matchup against UFC's Bryce Mitchell, the submission maestro is targeting a transition to MMA as early as November or December.

Mikey Musumeci Plans to Vacate BJJ Belt for MMA 

Despite giving up one of his biggest edges, leg locks, against Thug Nasty for their UFC BJJ 11 clash on Sept. 24, the bantamweight champion still grabbed the unanimous decision victory. But it wasn't the result that excited Musumeci; the style interested him more. 

In fact, speaking with MMA Junkie, 'Darth Rigatoni' admitted that sport jiu-jitsu has little left to give him, considering relinquishing his belt. 

"I think it's time for me to start talking to the UFC about this conversation about vacating. You know, I don't really have any more desire. I've already won every title I've wanted to in jiu-jitsu in my weight class, right? So for me to do the same thing over and over, it kind of gets played out, you know," Musumeci explained. 

With his jiu-jitsu title out of the picture, the 3rd-degree BJJ black belt will be freer to explore more options, including a potential debut by the end of this year. And Musumeci already seems to have jumped into action, eyeing a dialogue with UFC's Hunter Campbell by next week. 

However, this isn't the first time the jiu-jitsu phenom has expressed his desire to enter the cage. During his time with ONE Championship, Musumeci teased a similar transition, even working on his striking with Thai powerhouse Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Another high-profile callout to Arman Tsarukyan reignited those speculations.  This time, however, Musumeci's decision feels firm. 

"So probably by November or December, I should be going to MMA," he clarified.

"Darth Rigatoni" has already started taking strides towards that transition.

Mikey Musumeci Details His MMA Camp

In the same interview, Mikey Musumeci also detailed his approach to preparing for the cage. And that struggle began long before he confronted Bryce Mitchell. 

The former ONE flyweight champion is training full-time at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas under head coach John Wood, working on his wrestling, striking, and daily MMA drills. In fact, Musumeci is already getting his daily sparring rounds, "getting hit in the face." 

The biggest difference, however, is definitely the inability to pull guard. That doesn't concern Musumeci anymore, who admitted the bout against Mitchell gave him a lot of confidence on his feet. 

"It gave me more confidence because in my brain, like I just made myself, oh, he's this big wrestler and I'm a guard player, you know? And I showed myself, okay, I could stand like this is not a big deal. Like I'm not scared," Musumeci remarked. 

Although nothing is official yet, Darth Rigatoni can confirm one thing: he wants the 125-lb division. Featuring fighters like Joshua Van, Alexandre Pantoja, and Manel Kape, it is definitely a stacked division, presenting Musumeci with the exact challenge that he's seeking.