Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci will make his UFC Fight Pass Invitational debut at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Thursday. After turning the UFC into the premier mixed martial arts organization in the world, Dana White has gone all-in on the lesser-known world of professional grappling and jiu-jitsu, signing Musumeci, the face of the sport, to an exclusive deal in November.
The bespectacled, soft-spoken 28-year-old from New Jersey is an elder statesman in jiu-jitsu, training for more than two decades. “I started Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu when I was 4 years old in New Jersey and I just never stopped,” Musumeci says. “I’m really old in jiu-jitsu years, like dog years.”
His dominance in the sport is mind boggling, winning the IBJFF World Championships four times to add to his collection of 15 world titles.
In a sport with few, if any, stars or household names, Musumeci is the Messi of professional grappling. Ahead of his main event match at FPI 9 with BJJ veteran Felipe Machado, he spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Doug Vazquez at the UFC Apex on a range of topics that included his goal of ridding the sport of PEDs, how the UFC can bring the sport to the next level and his love of pasta and pizza.
How to Watch Fight Pass Invitational 9: Musumeci vs. Machado
UFC Apex, Las Vegas
Thursday, Dec. 5
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Streaming on UFC Fight Pass
More MMA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Meet the Jiu-Jitsu Star at the Center of UFC’s Plan to Take Over Pro Grappling.
