“I Have the Right People Helping Me” – Mikey Musumeci Planning on Training Muay Thai With Rodtang to Prepare for Potential MMA Debut

ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci is constantly looking for ways to challenge himself, and a transition to mixed martial arts could be on the horizon in the near future. “Darth Rigatoni” has dominated his division since his debut in the world’s largest martial arts organization last year, and he displayed tremendous skill when he drew a tap from Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki in their openweight submission grappling contest at ONE Fight Night 15 this past weekend.

It could be argued that he has little left to prove in canvas-based competition, as he is already considered one of the best athletes of his generation. And it appears the American phenom agrees. Following his latest victory, Musumeci revealed that he has been training in Muay Thai lately in order to develop his all-around skill set. Though he admitted he may have a ways to go, the flyweight submission grappling king said it helped make him stronger in his last camp.

Mikey Musumeci detailed the positive effects of his Muay Thai training

“I’m a white belt in Muay Thai. I suck, but I love it. I love it. It’s so exciting to keep learning – like in jiu-jitsu. I think why my mind is so strong right now is because I did Muay Thai for one month. I think it’s the hardest training in the world, and it pushed my mind so much,” Musumeci said. 

“I was not comfortable at all this past month. There would be pads every night. I was training three hours a day jiu-jitsu and at night, two hours Muay Thai. I can barely walk after that session. It’s a very tough thing, but it made me physically on another level. And I think you guys see that,” he recalled.  

“I was sick, and I was still able to perform like I did against Shinya because of how in good shape I was before I got sick because I was training so hard in Muay Thai. It’s making my jiu-jitsu better”. Musumeci has spent time training with the legendary Nong-O Hama in recent weeks, and he revealed that he is now looking to train with another superstar in ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Mikey Musumeci wants to apply his Muay Thai skills in MMA initially

He believes that training with the best, coupled with his insatiable desire to learn and be better, will help him improve his striking skills. However, he stopped short on committing to compete in Muay Thai in the future, confirming that he’d like to parlay his skills to MMA first instead.

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“I want to see how fast I’ll learn. I’m going to go spend time now with Rodtang, we’re going to Southern Thailand. We’re going to his house there. He’s going to teach me and help me, so I have the best Muay Thai person in the world, teaching me Muay Thai,” Musumeci revealed.

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“I like the art. I feel like I could learn anything and I have the discipline and work ethic to learn. So I have the right people helping me. Let’s see how long it takes me. But I definitely am interested in MMA. Never Muay Thai because I’ll never be good enough for a Muay Thai fight. But definitely MMA. I feel like I can get to like a blue-purple belt level in Muay Thai, then I’ll be good for MMA.”