“So excited to learn Muay Thai and MMA”- Mikey Musumeci draws inspiration from Thai legend Saenchai’s scientific technique

Mikey Musumeci is taking Muay Thai inspiration from one of the best to ever do it.

The reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion has dominated the world of BJJ. He is a five-time IBJJF world champion and is yet to experience defeat inside the Circle, Now, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ is preparing for his next big challenge. Musumeci has been hard at work in Thailand, learning the art of eight in anticipation of his transition from grappling to MMA.

Recently, Musumeci looked at the philosophy of one of the best Muay Thai artists ever — Saenchai. Posting on his Instagram stories, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ shared his thoughts on a recent lesson delivered by the 30+ year veteran.

“If you guys do one of the sports vs. the other, notice how Saenchai threatens the head forcing the opponent to block ofc exposing the body! This is identical to jiu jitsu when you are passing the guard trying to get a head and arm or a guillotine scenario and the other person defends now their body is exposed for body lock type passes boy mechanics remain the same in every martial art we do so excited to learn Muay Thai and MMA”

Can Mikey Musumeci find the same success in MMA that he did in BJJ?

Making his promotional debut in May 2022, Mikey Musumeci immediately gained attention from ONE Championship fans after scoring a submission victory over Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari. Since then, he has added five more names to his hit list, including Combat Sambo world champion Gantumur Bayanduuren and fellow IBJJF champion Osamah Almarwai.

Though his most recent victories may be his most impressive. After earning a rear-naked choke submission against current ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ dispatched former lightweight MMA world titleholder Shinya Aoki in just over three minutes at ONE Fight Night 15.

After establishing himself as one of the greatest grapplers on the planet, are you excited to see Musumeci test his newly developed skills in mixed martial arts?

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.