ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci is one of the best grapplers on the planet today, and it might not have happened if he had listened to his mother early in his career. 

The American star is busy preparing to move up a division to take on old rival Gabriel Sousa in a bantamweight bout at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on Friday, June 7, inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mikey Musumeci reveals his mother was not in support of combat sports

Ahead of his next bout, he took time out to explain how his mom was not a fan of him devoting time to combat sports as a teen. 

“My mom didn’t even want me to compete. I was like 13, 12 years old. She’s like, ‘Please, no more competing.’ She hated it. She was horrified of me competing,” Musumeci said in a recent interview with ONE.

From the beginning of his journey at the tender age of 4, “Darth Rigatoni” felt at home on the mats, which would help him win tournaments throughout his childhood. 

Despite his undeniable talent, Musumeci’s mother still worried about him. As a result, they agreed he would take part in one last competition. But the bug had bitten the young prodigy, so his mom eventually capitulated.

“She’s like, ‘Alright, just win one more tournament and then no more competing, please.’ I was going to be competing at NAGA (North American Grappling Association) at this time, and I’m like, ‘Mom, I want another belt.’ I won another belt, so I fought again, and then I’d win a belt,” Musumeci said. 

“And then I’m like, ‘Wait, wait, one more tournament, please!’ And then I ended up just keep competing.”

Ultimately, the 27-year-old followed his passion, which led him to become one of the best grapplers in the world today, and he credits his mom for allowing him to discover what he wanted. 

“My parents never pushed me to compete or train. My mom just wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer, honestly. She didn’t even want me to do jiu-jitsu, so I feel like because they didn’t push us, it came from us to actually want to do this,” he said. 

What’s next for “Darth Rigatoni”

Musumeci will once again be out to prove just how far his passion has taken him when he meets Sousa on June 7.

After conquering ONE Championship’s flyweight submission grappling ranks, he’ll move to bantamweight to take on the Brazilian star, who is the last man to tap him in competition. 

After that, the American star will move up further to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, September 6.

This year is set to be a busy one for “Darth Rigatoni.” But anyone familiar with him knows he won’t back down as he strives for mega-stardom.