Michael Musumeci Jr. (born July 7, 1996) is an American

submission grappler Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...

and

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

black belt competitor. A four-time World Champion and Pan American Champion in colored belts, Musumeci is a five-time

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Jiu ...

black belt World Champion (four times in Gi and once in

No-Gi Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...

), and the first American to win more than one IBJJF World title at black belt. He is currently signed to

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

where he is the current flyweight submission grappling champion.

Early life

Michael Musumeci Jr. was born in

Marlboro, New Jersey Marlboro Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a ...

on July 7, 1996. Musumeci is of Italian ancestry. He began training

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(BJJ) at age 4 along with his sister Tammi at ''Fatjo's Martial Arts Academy'' under coach Fernando "Cabeça". When he was 10 his family moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. While training at various academies, he met brothers

Rafael Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

and

Guilherme Mendes Guilherme Mendes Godoy (born 1988 in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil) is a four-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) world champion at the black belt level. Guilherme along with his brother Rafael Mendes are 3rd degree black belts under R ...

of Art of Jiu Jitsu (AOJ) during a seminar, starting a long relationship with the brothers and their academy. Starting at juvenile blue belt, Musumeci won IBJJF world championships at every belt level. In 2014

awarded him his brown belt right after his 2014 purple belt world title while on the podium. In 2015 aged 18, Musumeci received his black belt from

Gilbert Burns Gilbert Alexander Pontes Burns (born 20 July 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a grappler, Burns ...

Black belt career

The following year Musumeci won the 2016

Pan American Championship A Pan American Championship is a top level international sports competition between athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs in the Americas. Typically these championships are recurring, the most ...

at roosterweight followed by the World No-Gi Championship. In 2016 he switched team joining

Caio Terra Caio Terra (born 8 February 1986 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) competitor and world champion. Caio began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu i ...

's association. In 2017 Musumeci won the UAEJJF World Pro at black belt in the 62 kg weight class. In 2017 he won the World Championship in the Lightfeather division. In 2018 Musumeci became World Champion for the second time. Fighting in a lower weight division he won the World Championship two more times in 2019 and 2021.

2021

Musumeci made his Who's Number One debut on March 26, 2021, where he submitted Marcelo Cohen with an armbar from the triangle choke position. On May 28, 2021 Musumeci returned to WNO, submitting Lucas Pinheiro with a heelhook. Musumeci's third WNO match was against Edwin 'Junny' Ocasio on June 18, 2021, and Musumeci won the bout by unanimous decision. Musumeci was then invited to compete in the inaugural WNO Championships event, taking part in the tournament for the promotion's Lightweight title. Musumeci faced Gabriel Sousa in the opening round and was submitted by north-south choke, removing him from the competition. Musumeci then competed for the inaugural WNO Bantamweight title on October 20, 2021. He submitted Richard Alarcon with a leglock that has since been dubbed 'The Mikey Lock', and won the belt. Musumeci was scheduled to make his ADCC debut at the

2022 ADCC World Championship The 2022 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was a two-day no-gi submission grappling event that took place on 17-18 September 2022 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. History The tournament was originally scheduled ...

after receiving an invite to the event. During the build-up, the promotion staged their first 'Road to ADCC' event on July 17, 2021 where Musumeci faced fellow ADCC 2022 competitor Geo Martinez, beating him 6-0 on points. After the conclusion of the match, both Martinez and his coach

Eddie Bravo Edgar A. Bravo (''né'' Cano; born May 15, 1970) is an American martial arts instructor, podcaster, stand-up comedian, and musician. After earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003, Bravo began teaching his own self-developed style of j ...

confronted Musumeci as they exchanged heated words on the mat. He was forced to withdraw from ADCC 2022 as a result of injury, but has since called for a rematch with Martinez regardless. The pair were originally scheduled for a rematch on March 25, 2021, but the match was postponed and did not come to fruition. At the end of 2021, Musumeci and his sister Tammi both changed gyms and joined Pedigo Submission Fighting to train under Heath Pedigo.

2022

Musumeci defended the WNO Bantamweight title against Estevan Martinez on January 21, 2022, winning by unanimous decision. Soon after, he signed with

. After signing with ONE Championship, Musumeci switched gyms once again and moved to Singapore to train at

Evolve MMA Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (not associated with Evolve Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) is a chain of martial arts academies. Founded by Chatri Sityodtong, it opened in January 2009. The gym includes several former and reigning UFC and ONE Championship World ...

. After signing with ONE Championship, Musumeci faced

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Panc ...

in a grappling bout at

ONE 156 ''ONE 156: Eersel vs. Sadiković'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on April 22, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background The event will be headlined by a ONE Lightweight Kickb ...

on April 22, 2022. He submitted Imanari by the way of rear-naked choke, and won the $50,000 'Performance of the Night' bonus as a result. Musumeci faced Cleber Sousa for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship on October 1, 2022, at

ONE on Prime Video 2 ''ONE on Prime Video 2: Xiong vs. Lee 3 '' (also known as ''ONE Fight Night 2'' outside North America) was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on October 1, 2022 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. ...

. Musumeci won the match and the belt via unanimous decision at the end of the 10 minutes. Musumeci was scheduled to make his first title defense against Sayan Khertek on January 14, 2023, at

ONE on Prime Video 6 ''ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on January 14, 2023, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Background On September 12, 2022, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityo ...

. However, Khertek forced to withdraw due to injury and was replaced by Gantumur Bayanduuren. Musumeci defeated Bayanduuren by unanimous decision and retained his title. It came to light afterward that Bayanduuren suffered several severe injuries to his leg as a result of submission attempts by Musumeci during the match.

2023

Musumeci is scheduled to make his second title defense against

Osamah Almarwai Osamah Ali Almarwai (Arabic: أسامة علي المروعي, born on April 11, 1992) is a Saudi submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt competitor. An American National and World No-Gi champion in brown belt, Almarwai is the ...

at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5, 2023.

Accomplishments

Main Achievements (Black Belt) * World record holder for fastest submission in an IBJJF world championship adult black belt final. * IBJJF World Champion (2021 / 2019 / 2018/2017) * IBJJF Pan American Champion (2016) * IBJJF European Open Champion (2020 / 2017) * IBJJF American National Champion (2016/2015) * IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2016) * UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Champion (2017) * UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam LA Champion (2016) * ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Championship (One time; current) (1 Defense) Main Achievements (Colored Belts) * IBJJF World Champion (2015 brown, 2014 purple, 2013/2012 juvenile blue) * IBJJF Pan American Champion (2015 brown, 2014 purple, 2013/2012 juvenile blue) * IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2011 blue juvenile) * IBJJF Pan American NoGi Champion (2011 blue juvenile)

Career record

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:80%; text-align:left;" , - , colspan=8 style="text-align:center;" , 21 Matches, 18 Wins (8 Submissions), 3 Losses (1 Submission), 0 Draws , - ! Result ! style="text-align:center;", Rec. ! Opponent ! Method ! Event ! Date ! Location , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 19–3 , Bayanduuren Gantumur , Decision (unanimous) ,

ONE Fight Night 6 ''ONE Fight Night 6: Superbon vs. Allazov'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on January 14, 2023, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Background On September 12, 2022, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sit ...

, January 14, 2023 , Bangkok, Thailand , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 18–3 , Cleber Souza , Decision (unanimous) ,

, October 1, 2022 , Kallang, Singapore , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 17–3 ,

, Submission (rear naked choke) ,

, April 22, 2022 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 16–3 , Estevan Martinez , Decision (unanimous) , Who's #1: Craig Jones vs. Pedro Marinho , January 21, 2022 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 15–3 ,

Bruno Malfacine Bruno Malfacine (born 28 August 1986 in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) competitor. Malfacine, a winner of 10 World Championships, was inducted into the International Br ...

, Decision (points) , IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship: Finals , December 12, 2021 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 14–3 , Richard Alarcon , Submission (leg lock) , Who's #1: The Return of Gordon Ryan , October 20, 2021 ,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 13–3 , Joao Gabriel Sousa , Submission (north south choke) , 2021 FloGrappling WNO Championship: Day 1 , September 25, 2021 ,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 13–2 , Geovanny Martinez , Decision (points) , Road to ADCC , July 18, 2021 ,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 12–2 , Edwin Ocasio , Decision (unanimous) , Who's #1: Craig vs. Ruotolo , June 18, 2021 ,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 11–2 , Lucas Pinheiro , Submission (inside heel hook) , Who's #1: Gordon Ryan vs. Luiz Panza , May 28, 2021 ,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 10–2 , Marcelo Cohen , Submission (triangle armbar) , Who's #1: Gordon Ryan vs. Vagner Rocha , March 26, 2021 ,

, - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 9–2 , Mahamed Aly , Decision (points) , rowspan=4, European Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championship 2020 , rowspan=4, January 25, 2020 , rowspan=4,

Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 9–1 , Francisco Jonas Andrade , Decision (split) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 8–1 , Diego Oliveria Batista , Submission (straight ankle lock) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 7–1 , Suraj Budhram , Submission (arm-in ezekiel choke) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 6–1 , Joseph Lee , Submission (omoplata) , World Jiu Jitsu Festival: Day 1 , October 5, 2019 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 5–1 , Rodnei Barbosa , Submission (straight ankle lock) , rowspan=3, 2019 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship , rowspan=3, June 2, 2019 , rowspan=3,

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 4–1 ,

, Decision (Points) , - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 3-1 , Koji Shibamoto , Decision (Points) , - , Loss , style="text-align:center;", 2–1 , Nobuhiro Sawada , Decision , Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship , March 24, 2019 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 2–0 , Ary Farias , Decision , 2018 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship , June 3, 2018 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, - , Win , style="text-align:center;", 1–0 , João Miyao , Decision , 2017 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship , June 4, 2017 ,

, - , colspan=8 style="text-align:center;" , Source , -

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musumeci, Mikey 1996 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from Marlboro Township, New Jersey World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship medalists Submission grapplers ONE Championship champions