ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is preparing to defend his strap for the second time, but he insists that it is not the title that drives him.
The man known as “Darth Rigatoni” takes on Osamah Almarwai at “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III,” the promotion’s historic U.S. debut at the 1STBANK Center in Colorado on Friday, May 5 that streams live on Amazon Prime Video.
Ahead of the grappling showcase, Musumeci opened up on his mental health battles and the lessons he learned through them.
The New Jersey native confesses that his depression struggles have allowed him to realign his values as a professional athlete.
“Something I’ve learned from having depression is, when you’re in that state of depression, nothing makes you feel better – food, money, nothing. Even food. I love pizza and pasta. I didn’t even like pizza and pasta when I was depressed,” he recalled.
“The only thing that made me feel better was when I helped people, when I made somebody smile. When I made someone’s day better. That gave me a purpose to keep living.”
With five IBJJF world championships among his numerous accolades as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Musumeci has done it all in the sport at just 26 years old.
Now, with so little left to do achieve in competition, the American submission ace has been forced to find a cause far more noble than simply claiming more gold.
Musumeci says that he has taken great pleasure in seeing others draw inspiration from his exploits, and he plans on using his platform with the world’s largest martial arts promotion to continue spreading his message.
“So, what am I doing competing now? I had already won every title I wanted in jiu-jitsu. For myself, with titles, it’s not about winning titles anymore,” he commented.
“What it’s about is inspiring and helping people, having an impact on others so that they can overcome whatever obstacles they have in life. Now that I’m in the position I’m in, I have a responsibility not only to perform and compete, but also to share my stories of life and the overcoming that I’ve had.”
