"Grinding to get a name in jiu-jitsu" - Mikey Musumeci says grapplers must first pay their due in the unforgiving BJJ circuit

ONE world grappler Mikey Musumeci is the perfect guy to get advice from if you're looking to make a name for yourself in the jiu-jitsu world. Not many people know how to make a sustainable living doing jiu-jitsu. With the sport being so competitive and saturated with promising talents, it's difficult to set yourself apart from the others.

So Mikey Musumeci recently shared some insight on how to do that before you start cashing in the cheques. In an interview with Cageside Press, 'Darth Rigatoni' said:

"I do think the start of IBJJG Gi world, and ADCC, are great tournaments to build somebody's name that doesn't have a name yet. So if you're coming up and you're grinding to get a name in jiu-jitsu, you go to these open tournaments, you win them, or like invitational, but still a tournament.

He added:

"Yeah, then you could make money. Then you could do one match and make 20 times the amount of winning ADCC with four or five matches."

Mikey Musumeci himself is a five-time IBJJF world champion. So, it is through these types of "Olympic" tournaments that he got noticed by ONE Championship. But as he mentioned above, one must work hard and win as many bouts as they can to increase the chances of grappling for a major sports organization like ONE.

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"I am so determined to make history" - Mikey Musumeci is striving for two-belt victory in his next lightweight endeavor against Kade Ruotolo

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is focused on becoming the best lightweight on the planet when he collides with Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver.

The question is, can he pull it off? Changing your entire diet to put on some weight alone, can take its toll on a person both mentally and physically.

So Mikey Musumeci understands that if he succeeds in defeating a fellow IBJJF champion two weight classes above his own, then he can unlock any level or challenge that comes his way.

On Instagram, Musumeci wrote the following caption that speaks to the level of difficulty in pursuing a second world title:

"I never know the result of a match but I have been working so hard the past 7 months with 100% sacrifice, discipline, and dedication and I am so determined to make history!"

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.