Mikey Musumeci says MMA grappling is a ‘superior form’ of jiu-jitsu: “They’re trying to finish people”

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci has a lot of respect for MMA fighters, especially for his upcoming challenger Jarred Brooks.

This Friday, at ONE Fight Night 13 inside the hallowed grounds of Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, Musumeci puts his 26 pounds of solid gold on the line for the third time against the reigning strawweight world champion, who’s on a quest for two-sport supremacy.

While Brooks is considered the underdog since this will be his first foray into a grappling-only affair under ONE, Musumeci admits it would be foolish to count him out.

‘Darth Rigatoni, in an interview with ONE Championship, even went as far as proclaiming that Brooks’ experience in MMA grappling is at a higher level than those who practice strictly ju-jitsu, such as himself:

“First of all, they're doing a superior form of grappling than us jiu-jitsu people because they're doing grappling to protect themselves in a real-life situation. They're ready to get punched in the face, right? A jiu-jitsu person, they'll get knocked out playing a lot of stuff we play.”

Moreover, the 27-year-old grappling savant praised MMA fighters for finishing fights instead of stalling their way to victory, adding:

“So, they're doing superior grappling than us, so that's why I respect MMA grappling so much, and they're trying to finish people.”

Grappling in MMA, of course, is a whole different ball game when compared to grappling in a jiu-jitsu match.

Apart from the obvious threat of getting smashed in the face, the craziness of MMA bouts creates even more complexities when it comes to the art of grappling.

Still, despite Musumeci’s glowing praises for Brooks, the MMA world champion will still be entering ‘Darth Rigatoni’s territory and will try to beat him in his own game.

It’s definitely a daunting task at hand and we’ll soon see if Brooks can use his MMA experience to his full advantage.

ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs Grigorian on Prime Video will air live on US Primetime on August 4, free of charge for existing Prime Video members in North America.