“Never wanted to cheat” - Mikey Musumeci preferred problem solving in jiu-jitsu over winning through PEDs

Reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci of the United States says that using PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) as a jiu-jitsu practitioner has never crossed his mind -- ever.

The 27-year-old Italian-American superstar says PED use in the sport is rampant and is thankful that ONE Championship drug tests its athletes. He recently blasted jiu-jitsu athletes who rely on PEDs to gain a competitive advantage on the mats.

Speaking to veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in a recent guest appearance on The MMA Hour, Musumeci was asked why he never thought of using PEDs. He said it was a form of cheating.

'Darth Rigatoni' stated:

"Look at MMA, look at baseball, look at basketball, look at all these sports, they're professional sports, right? The only thing that there's steroids in is bodybuilding, right? Are we in fucking bodybuilding? No. Dan Gable is an idol of mine so I grew up listening to him talk about steroids. Shout out Dan Gable, he's the GOAT. And I always never wanted to cheat and take a shortcut, right? I wanted to make my jiu-jitsu work against these people. So it became like a puzzle for me."

Musumeci is one of the cleanest athletes in combat sports and swears by his diet of pizza and pasta to build his strength. He should have no issue with his next opponent, who has also openly criticized the use of PEDs in jiu-jitsu.

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'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci to face Kade Ruotolo at ONE 168: Denver

Flyweight submission grappling king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci will go for his second ONE world title when he takes on lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo.

The two lock horns at ONE 168: Denver, which takes place at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Amazon Prime Video.