Mikey Musumeci on his deeper reason for competing

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci is one of the most dangerous men to ever put on a rashguard. Beyond his competitive nature, however, he is known to be one of the kindest and friendliest people you'll ever meet. 'Darth Rigatoni' is a strong advocate for using martial arts as a vehicle to instill kindness and respect in the next generation.

You can watch Musumeci interact with any fan, media member, or fellow athlete, and you can tell that he is a man that has no malicious bone in his body. The unassuming nature of his demeanor and his warm personality are products of his deep philosophy regarding his sport.

ONE Championship recently posted some slides exploring Musumeci's reasons for competing. You can check them out below:

"Overcoming the challenges of life inside and outside of the Circle ❤️ Who's next for "Darth Rigatoni?" 🤔 @mikeymusumeci"

Here's what Mikey Musumeci had to say:

"It's not about winning titles anymore. It's about inspiring and helping people, and having an impact on others so that they can overcome whatever obtacles they have in life. Something I've learned from having depression is when you're in that state, nothing makes you feel better - food, money, nothing.

"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."

Mikey Musumeci is working on a plane that's above the usual landscape of thought in sports. By being a master at a physical form of art, he found the kind of wisdom that can strengthen the minds and hearts of those around him.

Depression is a devastating thing, and the 26-year-old world champion decided to use his talents to inspire people never to go through it as he did in the past. He went through extreme emotional pain in life, and instead of making the world feel what he felt, he decided to save it from more pain.

At ONE Fight Night 10 last month, Mikey Musumeci used his trademark rear-naked choke to defeat IBJJF No.1-ranked Roosterweight blackbelt Osamah Almarwai. After the tap, 'Darth Rigatoni' immediately showed compassion and respect towards his fallen foe by making sure he was okay and then giving him a hug:

The victory also won Mikey Musumeci a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE. At the moment, no talks are circulating yet on who and when will the young world champion fight next.

Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch the full replay of this match, along with the entire blockbuster card, free of charge.