“They used to bother me” - Mikey Musumeci’s loss to Cleber Sousa fueled a five-year undefeated run

Grappling star Mikey Musumeci isn’t used to losing. So, when he fell to Brazilian rival Cleber ‘Clandestino’ Sousa by decision in 2017 at the IBJJF Pan American Championship Tournament, Musumeci fueled his loss with a shocking five-year undefeated run.

Mikey Musumeci and Cleber Sousa are crossing paths again in their third fight, with much bigger stakes this time. The inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world title will be on the line. The contest will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 30 live on US primetime via Prime Video 2.

With the young black belt taking the grappling circuit by storm, accepting losses in his early career wasn’t an easy undertaking. However, Musumeci quickly realized that learning how to pick yourself up from a loss is an art of its own.

Recalling how he came to grips with his loss against Sousa, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ told ONE Championship:

“They used to bother me, but then you use a loss to get better and improve. I used that loss, and then I haven't lost a match in five years in the 141-127 division since then.”

Musumeci lost to ‘Clandestino’ by referee decision after a very close match. From his vantage point, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ believed he was gaining strides by going on the offensive - an approach he held for more than half of the match.

Cleber, on his end, did well to counter his attacks. But he eventually turned the tide by taking top position in the dying minutes of the match to score major points on the scorecards and was later awarded the victory.

Watch Mikey Musumeci's first match with Sousa below:

Although Musumeci wasn’t thrilled with the referee’s decision, he refused to dwell on it. And within the same year, he returned the favor in a rematch with a win over Sousa via points. With one victory apiece, both grapplers will have the chance to do something incredible and make ONE history on September 30.

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Mikey Musumeci explains how he got the nickname ‘Darth Rigatoni’

Mikey Musumeci has an unusual nickname, but one that fits him perfectly once you know the meaning behind it. A well-known fact about ‘Darth Rigatoni’ is his love for Italian pasta and pizza. As his popularity within the grappling community began to grow, he recalled how a fan came up with the nickname during one of his outings.

Mikey Musumeci explained to ONE Championship why he kept the nickname after that day:

"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?"