“She didn’t want me to do jiu-jitsu” – Mikey Musumeci reveals his mom initially didn’t want him to practice ‘The Gentle Art’

Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci says that when he first started training jiu-jitsu as a kid, his mother did not approve of his unique career choice.

In fact, she wanted him to follow a more traditional career path. But the 27-year-old was determined to become the best grappler in the world, and it has led him on a journey of excellence. Today, he's arguably the best pound-for-pound grappler on planet Earth.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Musumeci talked about starting jiu-jitsu as a kid and basically motivating himself to greatness.

'Darth Rigatoni' said:

"My parents never pushed me to compete or train. My mom just wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer, honestly. She didn't even want me to do jiu-jitsu, so I feel like because they didn't push us [me and my sister], it came from us to actually want to do this."

'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci is ready to move up to the bantamweight division when he faces former tormentor Gabriel Sousa of Brazil at ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut II on Prime Video.

The event broadcasts live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free on Friday, June 7th, U.S. primetime, on Amazon Prime Video.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.

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Mikey Musumeci has some advice for parents who want to get their children into jiu-jitsu: "Don't tell your kid they have to train"

Reigning flyweight submission grappling king 'Darth Rigatoni' Mikey Musumeci has some advice for parents who are trying to get their kids to train jiu-jitsu. And it's about leading by example.

The Italian-American star told ONE:

"Don't tell your kid they have to train. What you're gonna do is you're gonna go train, and you're gonna have your kid sometimes go, but you're gonna make it your cool thing. And then your kid's gonna want to do it because it's your cool thing, and he's gonna want to do what you're doing."