Mikey Musumeci reveals he’s “best friends” with fellow ONE flyweight world champion

While they compete in different disciplines, American submission grappling ace Mikey Musumeci still found a buddy in Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

In an interview with the Jiu-Jiu Times, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ shared that he has developed a special bond with his fellow ONE flyweight world champion, and considers ‘The Iron Man’ as one of his best friends under ONE Championship.

He said:

“It’s because now that Rodtang and I are best friends, I’m really liking Muay Thai. I love him – he’s the nicest guy, and he has such great energy.”

This friendship between Mikey Musumeci and Rodtang was recently showcased at ONE’s historic first live on-ground event in the United States earlier this month, where they both competed and won in their respective title matches.

Rodtang revealed that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt played a role in helping him make weight and pass hydration safely. It is something he said he is very grateful for.

The Jitmuangnon Gym standout impressed in his U.S. debut at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5, successfully defending the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title with a second-round knockout (elbow to the jaw) over Mexican challenger Edgar Tabares. He, too, earned a hefty $100,000 performance bonus for the win.

Also a big winner was Mikey Musumeci, who retained the ONE flyweight submission grappling world title by way of submission (rear-naked choke) over Yemeni opponent Osamah Almarwai. To soup up the win, he was also awarded a performance bonus of $50,000.

It was the fourth victory for the Italian-American champion in as many matches since joining ONE Championship last year and second successful defense of the world title he won in September.

ONE Fight Night 10 was played to a packed crowd at 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado. North American fans who want to catch its replay can do so for free via Amazon Prime.