Nina-Marie Daniele is wondering how she can adopt the diet of Mikey Musumeci to achieve a similar musculature to the decorated jiu-jitsu player. This playful interaction happened on social media when Mikey Musumeci posted a photo on his Instagram page flexing his impressive physique.
He captioned the photo 'two weeks', which refers to his looming promotional debut in a jiu-jitsu competition with the UFC after holding jiu-jitsu gold in ONE Championship in the past. Many commented on the defined physical framework Musumeci has and his preparation for competition despite favoring a diet that has caused many to refer to him as 'Darth Rigatoni'.
Among those commenting was one of UFC's most popular content creators Nina-Marie Daniele. When she took to the comment section. Daniele said:
"How many servings of pasta and how many slices of pizza per day do I need to eat daily to be this fit?"
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Check out the post of Mikey Musumeci's that Nina-Marie Daniele commented on below
Mikey Musumeci's journey to the UFC from ONE Championship
Mikey Musumeci's unexpected path from ONE to the UFC dates back to when the pursuit of jiu-jitsu glory nearly resulted in a health scare. Musumeci was the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling champion aiming to claim Kade Ruotolo's ONE lightweight submission grappling title.
Alas, Ruotolo would have to pull out after sustaining an injury at the Craig Jones Invitational about a month before the Denver card. A replacement match was then sought with Bebeto Oliveira, where Musumeci dealt with a lung tear that prevented him from cutting weight.
He had to let go of his belt and claimed how ONE came out, implying he missed weight when his condition prevented him from cutting more weight. Musumeci relayed his experiences during this time in a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show.
During that chat, Musumeci claimed he was grateful for his path in ONE Championship and for what promoter Chatri Sityodtong has done for his sport of submission grappling.
The contract with ONE was near an end with the jiu-jitsu savant, indicating he was also getting homesick and yearning for a return to living in the United States. Signing with the UFC seems to fit within that, as Musumeci described how the UFC space is near his home.
The 28-year-old has signed an exclusive deal with the MMA powerhouse's grappling division and will compete against Felipe Machado at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 on Dec. 5.