“ONE is a lot different” – Mikey Musumeci discusses the parallels between industry leaders ONE Championship and UFC

American submission grappling ace Mikey Musumeci said there is no denying the standing of ONE Championship and UFC as industry leaders in combat sports. He, however, believes that the two organizations are different in their approach.

‘Darth Rigatoni,’ in particular, cited how ONE offers diversity, making it stand out as a promotion.

Mikey Musumeci, the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion, shared his take on ONE and UFC in an interview with Sherdog.

The 27-year-old Italian-American champion said:

“I also see ONE Championship being different from the UFC. I see it as a whole different thing. I don't see them the same. People comparing them, I think ONE is a lot different. It's a martial art organization, it has multiple disciplines of martial arts. UFC is just MMA, and it's more about s--- talking. It’s a different style.”

ONE Championship started offering MMA-only shows over a decade ago, but in the last few years, it has made a conscious effort to include other disciplines, namely, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. The promotion’s tack has been well received by combat sports fans.

Mikey Musimeci is just one of many who have benefited from ONE’s thrust to be a more well-rounded martial arts organization, getting the opportunity to showcase what he is capable of as a topnotch jiu-jitsu fighter to a wider audience.

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Mikey Musumeci seeks to continue inspiring through ONE Championship

Mikey Musumeci is grateful to ONE Championship for the opportunity to showcase his jiu-jitsu skills and he wants to continue inspiring others through it.

The BJJ black belt made his promotional debut in April 2022 and has been undefeated in six fights to date, punctuated by winning the ONE flyweight submission grappling world title in September last year.

He has since successfully defended the title three times already.

In an interview with onefc.com, Mikey Musumeci said that apart from maintaining his position as champion, he wants to use the platform given to him by ONE to be an inspiration to other people.

He said:

“I have already won every title I wanted in jiu-jitsu. It’s not about winning titles anymore. What it’s about is inspiring and helping people, having an impact on others so that they can overcome whatever obstacles they have in life.”

Mikey Musumeci is currently one of the faces of submission grappling in ONE Championship. He was last in action in October, where he defeated Japanese legend Shinya Aoki by submission in an openweight grappling contest.