“Pushed me to grow so much” - Flyweight submission grappling king Mikey Musumeci reflects on overcoming personal battles in 2023

Reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci was active in 2023. He was able to compete in four fights and went undefeated by beating all of his opponents in the previous calendar year.

Because of the enormous success he experienced in the previous 12 months, Musumeci greeted everyone on his Instagram account, thanking those who made 2023 a memorable year for him.

The 27-year-old American wrote:

“Happy new year everyone!!! 2023 was an incredible year !!! I lived in 3 different countries (US, Singapore, and Thailand), changed my name to Xiǎomài PK Saenchai 😂, was grappler of the year for @onechampionship , overcame depression again, and met so many amazing people! It was indeed a tough year that pushed me to grow so much!!! This year 6 out of 12 months I was competing!!! (Reality tv and in the circle 😂) . I have so many goals for 2024 and I am once again full of gratitude for everyone in my life that helps me! Everyday is a new day, let’s all make 2024 a new exciting adventure!! Much health and happiness to everyone ! God bless you all ❤️”

Musumeci shared a photo of him and revealed that he once again overcame depression in 2023. The Evolve MMA representative has been vocal about his mental health issues since his debut in the world’s largest martial arts organization. Thankfully, he's been able to conquer it.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ started the year with a unanimous decision win against Gantumur Bayanduuren in January 2023 at ONE Fight Night 6 and made his first-ever successful defense of his world title. Then, he quickly added Osamah Almarwai and Jarred Brooks to his victim list by submitting them in at ONE Fight Night 10 and ONE Fight Night 13, respectively.

Musumeci capped off the year with a dream match with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in October 2023 at ONE Fight Night 15, forcing a tap out of him using a modified Aoki lock to keep his unblemished record intact heading into 2024.

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Mikey Musumeci joined 'The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition Season 2' as a participant

After the gigantic success of the first edition of 'The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition' in 2021, the promotion and Netflix had a second instalment of the reality show, during which contestants were put to different challenges involving business and physical tests.

Among the participants in the reality show is Musumeci. 'The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition' started airing on the digital platform streaming company Netflix across Asia on December 28, 2023. The global release will be announced soon.