“I need a little break for my body” – Mikey Musumeci admits he physically pushed himself too hard in 2023

Reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci has had an extremely busy 2023 to no one's determination but his own.

To start off the year, Musumeci put his world title on the line against Bayanduuren Gantumur at ONE Fight Night 6 in mid-January. He defeated him via unanimous decision before locking in a rear-naked choke win to beat Osamah Almarwai at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5.

Musumeci's next defense inside the ONE Championship circle would see him submit ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks, followed by a win over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in an openweight showdown.

Though Musumeci takes great pride in his accomplishments in what has been a highly momentous year for him, 'Darth Rigatoni' could not deny that his otherworldly drive has caused his body to quit on him - at least for now.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Musumeci detailed the following:

“I’d like to stay active right now but I was so active this year, I need a little break for my body. My body’s p*ssed at me right now, dude. It's like ‘F*** you Mikey, you did too much this year!’ So I need to rest a little bit. Ideally January or February [would be a good time for a return]. I feel March is the latest.”

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Mikey Musumeci names next potential title challenger

At just 27 years old, Musumeci has proven himself to be one of the best grapplers on the planet. Having maintained an unblemished 6-0 record with ONE Championship, 'Darth Rigatoni' next hopes to roll with Diogo Reis.

Aside from his personal aspirations, Musumeci is hopeful that he will be joined by older sister Tammi Musumeci in becoming a champion as he made a case for her to face inaugural ONE women's atomweight submission grappling champion Danielle Kelly in a trilogy bout.

Watch the full interview with Musumeci here: