Mikey Musumeci, affectionately known as “Darth Rigatoni,” has made the difficult decision to part ways with Singapore-based combat sports promotion ONE Championship following a challenging experience. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, Musumeci, one of the most prominent figures in ONE Championship’s submission grappling divisions, and its longest-reigning champion to date, expressed gratitude and shared positive reflections on his journey without animosity.

He posted on Instagram and wrote, “END OF A CHAPTER OF MY LIFE – today I would like to announce I will no longer be living in Asia or competing under One Championship.” He narrated his story and spoke about returning to America with his family and starting a new chapter. Amid everything, he had a special mention for One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong. “Almost 3 years ago I met Chatri in Singapore in a meeting that was supposed to be 10 minutes and then turned into 4 hours of us talking,” Mikey wrote.

“With the opportunity chatri gave me with one championship, I was the first submission grappling world champion the organization ever had, and I had the platform and opportunity to help grow our sport of jiu jitsu to so many more people! I will forever be full of gratitude to him, we traveled to 6 different countries together always training talking about life so many amazing memories,” he further added. But was his decision to leave shaped by a bitter incident at ONE 168?

In September, Mikey, missed weight and failed the hydration test administered by ONE Championship. Consequently, he was stripped of the promotion’s flyweight submission grappling title. It must have been difficult for him since he has been one of the most consistent figures in the promotion’s grappling divisions over the last few years.

Mikey had more matches than anyone else in the promotion and had won each one, never missing weight or failing the hydration test. However, here lies the catch: on this particular occasion, it was far from a normal weight cut that was indeed difficult for him. If you are thinking why, then know this.

Mikey had to lose 35 lbs. And he had 3 days to do that!

Mikey was originally supposed to move up to lightweight to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the title at ONE 168 on September 6. But just a few days ahead of the fight, Ruotolo announced to withdraw from it because of an injury. That left the promotion scrambling to find a replacement on extremely short notice. Notably, the new fight could have been at any one of several weight classes. Mikey was due to compete at 170lbs and traditionally competes at 135lbs, so they had the option to carry on the fight in 145lbs and 155lbs as well.

Meanwhile, Carlos ‘Bebeto’ Oliveira stepped in to replace Ruotolo. The promotion announced that his match with Mikey would be for the latter’s flyweight title, meaning Mikey had to drop from 170 lb to 135 lb. That is something that would have been impossible for many. But Musumeci attempted to do it and missed. However, he managed to even weigh in at 141lbs, which is no less than commendable. But Mikey was understandably devastated at the incident as he had expressed later.

“Probably one of the worst days of my life in jiu jitsu. I wanted so bad to compete in One 168 in Denver, I felt horrible to the fans that were coming to see me and I felt I was letting them down. I tried to make the championship 135 lb weight in about 72 hours, but it was too much on short notice after preparing for the Kade match,” he had said in the aftermath.

“My body and hydration shut down when I got to 136 earlier today. Today I lost my belt, today I let down the fans and I want to apologize to my opponent Bebeto, someone I respect greatly, not being able to make the weight,” saying sorry multiple times in his statement. Missing weight in combat sports is something that is quickly tagged as indiscipline. But in Mikey’s case, he received overwhelming support. And why not? Look how he suffered while trying to achieve that weight.

Mikey Musumeci’s reason for withdrawal from ONE 168

In an update on his Instagram, the Evolve MMA and Cobrinha BJJ stalwart said, “I just want to thank everyone for the messages and support. I have been in the hospital since early this morning. I have pneumomediastinum, which means I had a tear in my lung on Wednesday I believe when I was cutting weight doing rickson diaphragm breathing (didn’t know this was possible) and air got into my chest and then into my neck.” Do you know how dangerous it is? Hear from Mikey himself.

“This is a life-threatening condition, and if I would have competed, I could have died the doctor told me. So first I was upset, now I’m full of gratitude to be alive and that I didn’t keep pushing. God protected me,” Mikey had further written. Ultimately, his decision to withdraw from the fight not only preserved his health but also ensured that his combat career continued. Meanwhile, faced with severe criticism, the promotion then came up with their defense.

According to them, it was Musumeci’s call to drop that weight after Ruotolo’s withdrawal. “After recent events, we feel it is necessary to provide additional context on Mikey Musumeci’s withdrawal from the ONE 168: Denver card. Mikey was obviously put in a difficult spot when Kade Ruotolo withdrew due to injury. When that happened, we worked closely with him and his team on a new opponent,” Sityodtong stated.

“Competing at flyweight was something he personally requested as he felt confident that he could make the hydrated limit of 135 pounds for a world title defense. This is not something we pushed him to do on short-notice or would ever demand of a ONE athlete given how much we prioritize fighter safety,” the CEO had further added.

Nevertheless, as Mikey closes this challenging chapter, he stands on the brink of new opportunities. It will be intriguing to see where his journey takes him next in the world of grappling and beyond. Where do you see the jiu-jitsu legend heading next? Let us know in the comment section below!