Mikey Musumeci

Bruno Malfacine arrived at the 2021 roosterweight world final as one of the most decorated champions the division has ever had and left Anaheim beaten 6-0. Across from him was Mikey Musumeci, who had submitted Bebeto Oliveira in the quarterfinals and Jonas Andrade in the semifinal, both with a botinha footlock. It was the American’s fourth black belt gi world title, his first for Pedigo Submission Fighting.

Born on July 7, 1996, in Marlboro, New Jersey, he started at 4 with Fernando Cabeça and moved with his family to Wellington, Florida, at 10. He went on to train with Marcelo Ribeiro, with Emyr Shark Bussade at American Top Team and with Javill Byron, who gave him his purple belt. Guilherme Mendes handed him his brown belt on the podium at the 2014 Worlds, and the black belt came in 2016 from Jonatas Gurgel and Gilbert Burns, after his brown belt world title. His sister, Tammi Musumeci, is also a black belt and a world finalist.

His first black belt Worlds, in 2016, ended in the quarterfinals with a loss on advantages to Isaac Doederlein. That same year he won Pans and the No-Gi Worlds. From 2017 on, the podium was his: he won light-featherweight in 2017, over João Miyao, and in 2018, over Ari Farias, then dropped to roosterweight in 2019 and beat Rodnei Barbosa in the final. His berimbolo and leg lock game even gave a position his name, the Mikey lock.

In 2022 he took that game to ONE Championship. He debuted by choking Masakazu Imanari and, in October, beat Cleber Sousa on a decision to win the promotion’s first flyweight submission grappling title. He defended it against Gantumur Bayanduuren, Osamah Almarwai and Jarred Brooks, the last one with a triangle armbar, and also beat Shinya Aoki with the lock named after the Japanese veteran and Gabriel Sousa with a calf slicer.

In the UFC, he beat Felipe Machado at the December 2024 Fight Pass Invitational and, in June 2025, submitted Rerisson Gabriel with a heel hook to win the first UFC BJJ bantamweight title. He defended it against Keven Carrasco, Shay Montague and Kevin Dantzler, all by submission. In September 2026, at UFC BJJ 11, he beat MMA fighter Bryce Mitchell on a decision and said he plans to give up the belt to make his MMA debut at flyweight.