Mikey Musumeci is a technical wizard on the mat with a computer-like brain for Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
On Friday, September 30, at ONE on Prime Video 2, Musumeci will bring that wizardry to a global audience when he faces Cleber Sousa for the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship.
Fans may be familiar with Musumeci from his recent appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” or his impressive ONE Championship debut in which he submitted Japanese MMA legend Masakazu Imanari. But fans might be unfamiliar with what exactly “Darth Rigatoni” does that makes him so special.
These are three of the five-time IBJJF world champion’s best jiu-jitsu techniques.
1. The butterfly hook ankle lock
For years, the straight ankle lock was considered by many to be ineffective at the black belt level – relatively easy to defend and unlikely to produce real bone-breaking power. Musumeci, however, would change how much of the grappling world now views this technique.
In 2019, he set a world record with the fastest-ever submission in the final of an IBJJF Black Belt World Championship, needing just 12 seconds to lock in his trademark butterfly hook ankle lock (also known as the butterfly ashi ankle lock).
Much more than a fluke, he had been doing this technique for years prior – the straight ankle lock has been his most frequent submission across his black belt career.
What makes Musumeci’s ankle lock unique is that his feet are in the opposite position than what’s traditionally taught, making it more challenging to defend. And with a butterfly hook under one of his opponent’s legs, he is able to produce a tremendous amount of force.
2. The berimbolo
One of the more complex and difficult techniques in jiu-jitsu, the berimbolo can be a difficult puzzle to solve. There are few, if any, grapplers in the world who have a more dynamic and dangerous berimbolo than Musumeci.
A typical berimbolo starts with a guard player wrapping their opponent’s leg in a “De La Riva guard.” From there, the bottom person inverts upside-down, flipping their opponent’s hips in the process to land in the back position.
Simply put, Musumeci is a master of the berimbolo, using his highly analytical mind to prepare for every possible reaction to every potential action.
Although the berimbolo is often thought of as a technique for the gi, an expert like Musumeci has shown its applicability to no-gi competition, too.
3. Heel hooks
Between 2017 and 2020, Musumeci competed exclusively in the gi, in which heel hooks and other twisting leg locks are illegal. In 2021, the New Jersey native returned to no-gi action and lit the jiu-jitsu world on fire with his preternatural ability to not only defend but also attack heel hooks.
In his first year under a different rule set, Musumeci earned a pair of lightning-fast heel hook wins over elite competition and won a decision in a 15-minute leg lock shootout with heel hook specialist Junny Ocasio.
And earlier this year, he debuted the “Mikey lock,” a modified heel hook that uses the head as a fulcrum to twist the leg.
As he continues his career in no-gi competition, look for “Darth Rigatoni’s” heel hook game to only become exponentially more dangerous.
