“It was just the coolest name ever” - Mikey Musumeci explains the origin of the ‘Darth Rigatoni’ nickname

American-Italian grappling phenom Mikey Musumeci is highly proud of the nickname that has been bestowed upon him. In an interview with ONE, he explained where ‘Darth Rigatoni’ all began.

The 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace recalled how the moniker came to be:

“So that nickname happened because I was doing a bunch of no-gi super-fights. One of the fans randomly said it, and it was just the coolest name ever, and then it just stuck. And then everyone just started calling me that. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m Darth Rigatoni now.’"

'Rigatoni' comes from his Italian heritage, named after a pasta variety. 'Darth' comes from Star Wars and represents his dark side. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ continued:

“And it does represent me… because I’m like this nice smiley guy. But then when I go out to compete, I become like a different person. So that’s like the dark part of me comes out, you know? And then five seconds later, I’m smiling Mikey again, talking about pasta and pizza. So it really does symbolize me well, right?"

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Mikey Musumeci in ONE Championship

Mikey Musumeci is considered one of the best grapplers currently competing. The 26-year-old has earned accolades in organizations such as IBJJF, WNO, Road to ADCC, and others. However, he has set his sights on earning ONE Championship gold.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ made his debut in ONE Championship with an impressive win over Japanese MMA legend Masakazu Imanari. Musumeci submitted his opponent quickly earlier in 2022. The jiu-jitsu ace earned a whopping $50,000 performance bonus for his impressive work inside the ONE circle.

At ONE on Prime Video 2 on September 30, Musumeci will be competing for the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world title. Facing him will be former adversary Cleber Sousa.

Mikey Musumeci is proud and excited about this upcoming match. On Instagram, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ shared:

"On September 30, this match will be the biggest match in all of my jiu jitsu career. This match will be the first match in history for the belt [ONE Championship] in jiu jitsu! This is the most prestigious stage and title that jiu jitsu has ever seen, and I am so honored and excited to be a part of it! I will be competing with [Cleber Sousa] someone I have much respect and admiration for; I know we will put on an amazing match for everyone! Let’s do this."