Mikey Musumeci Makes MMA Case With Bryce Mitchell-Ilia Topuria Wrestling Comparison
After making his mark across the grappling world, 30-year-old BJJ standout Mikey Musumeci appears ready to test himself in MMA.
The American first teased a move into the sport after his grappling match with Bryce Mitchell, making it clear that an MMA crossover was more than just a passing thought. Now, in an exclusive conversation, Musumeci has doubled down on those ambitions while making his case with a rather interesting comparison, one that involves Mitchell and former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
While UFC BJJ 11 delivered another action-packed grappling card at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, the spotlight was firmly on the main event. Mikey Musumeci shared the mat with UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell, while UFC BJJ Light Heavyweight Champion Mason Fowler faced Nick Rodriguez in the co-main event.
"Darth Rigatoni" Dominates: Mikey Musumeci Bests Bryce Mitchell
For those hoping Mitchell would put a dent in Musumeci’s momentum, the night went the other way. The UFC BJJ Bantamweight champion got a taste of Mitchell’s strength and wrestling, but his slick leg sweeps and superior ground game eventually proved too much for the UFC veteran.
Now, Musumeci believes what happened on the mat against Mitchell may have already answered one of the biggest questions about his MMA potential. In a one-on-one with Ariel Helwani, the Marlboro, NJ native explained why MMA is the most logical jump for him.
He said, “I really want to do this. I’m 30 years old. I don’t have that much time left in my life to compete like this, so I don’t want any what-ifs. I’m loving the MMA training. I’m addicted to it. I want to see how far I can go. And I want to show people that are talking crap about me, just the same people that said I can’t wrestle, right?
During the conversation, Musumeci also revealed that he was scheduled for an MMA fight right after his grappling contest with Mitchell. “So what happened was I was actually supposed to compete the day after in another organization for MMA right after my match with Bryce (Mitchell),” he added.
“My manager Abe is talking to many organizations and we’ve a good plan going forward but I was going to finish my match with Bryce, take a red-eye somewhere else and then fight MMA. I was in this crazy mindset at that point you know.”
For the unversed, the reigning UFC BJJ Bantamweight king is a four-time IBJJ world champion, having also captured ONE FC’s Flyweight grappling belt. Recently, during his post-fight media briefing, Musumeci confirmed that he would debut in MMA this year at flyweight, a logical weight class for the 30-year-old.
Then again, during his exclusive with Helwani, Musumeci expounded on why he will excel in mixed martial arts. In fact, he used the infamous MMA math but added a little more context to hype himself.
“I took down Bryce twice, a high level MMA wrestler. Didn’t he take down Ilia Topuria multiple times? Like he’s a really good wrestler and I took him down twice,” he explained. “So like I kind of showed people that I do have wrestling.”
“I think I changed a lot of people’s perspectives of me after this match with Bryce that I can handle like the more rough thing, they probably thought I’d cry fighting Bryce.”
Musumeci Says He’s Improving Every Day
Musumeci is something of a rare case in BJJ, especially when looking at the path that took him to the top of the sport. Long before becoming one of grappling’s biggest names, the 30-year-old spent much of his childhood around MMA.
And unlike the stereotype of a BJJ specialist who has little interest in striking, Musumeci has always had an appreciation for the other side of the game, particularly Muay Thai.
“I grew up doing MMA as a kid, like striking, Muay Thai, all these different things, and I don’t know, I’ve been a fan of it for so many years,” he said.
That background, coupled with his love for being the underdog, has made the prospect of starting over in MMA particularly appealing to Musumeci. In fact, he seems to enjoy the idea of being a student again.
“I kind of like being the underdog and having to work my way up and being a student of the game again. I love feeling like I’m a white belt again. I have to learn. It gives me that high.”
On top of that, the learning process is already underway at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, where Musumeci has been training under John Wood. Just three months into his MMA preparation, the BJJ star says the progress has already been noticeable.
“I’ve a great team here at Syndicate (MMA) in Vegas with John Wood that I’m training with every day. And I’m just learning every day and improving. I’m like three months into MMA training now. I’ve improved so much in three months and I feel like I’m only getting better.”
Mikey Musumeci Embarks on MMA Journey
Syndicate has produced plenty of UFC-level talent, including Merab Dvalishvili, who has established himself as one of the promotion's top bantamweights, and Azerbaijani lightweight Nazim Sadykhov, another UFC fighter from the Las Vegas camp.
Can Musumeci become the next top-level MMA prospect? He certainly has the grappling pedigree to give himself a head start, but at just three months into his MMA journey, it is far too early to know how high his ceiling might be.
