Elite grappler Mikey Musumeci has earned his first win under the UFC banner.
The UFC has been home to many submission specialists over the years but the promotion is now looking to become a more significant player in the submission grappling world via UFC BJJ.
To kick off their latest venture, the promotion put together a reality TV series which followed in the footsteps of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.
Musumeci, who formerly competed for ONE Championship, served as one of the coaches for ‘UFC BJJ: Road to the Title’, before he finally got the chance to compete on June 25.
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Mikey Musumeci makes reference to Royce Gracie when celebrating his UFC BJJ 1 main event win
Mikey Musumeci became the first competitor to win a UFC BJJ main event on June 25 after he submitted Rerisson Gabriel via heel hook in the third round.
The win sees ‘Darth Rigatoni’ add the inaugural UFC BJJ bantamweight title to his already stellar trophy cabinet, with two other champions being crowned earlier on in the night.
Musumeci is no stranger to competing at the highest level in grappling as the first American to win more than one IBJJF world championship at black belt, having won five in total.
That being said, the 28-year-old was incredibly proud to write his name into the UFC history books by headlining the first event.
The MMA promotion’s first ever event, UFC 1 in 1993, also saw an elite grappler emerge victorious as Royce Gracie helped to bring jiu-jitsu into the spotlight.
Musumeci made reference to following in Gracie’s footsteps during his post-fight interview.
“This is just so cool. Looking back into history, this is UFC BJJ 1. Like Royce Gracie’s time, and I was the first main event on this card. It’s just such an honor.”
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Mikey Musumeci takes a shot at rival promotions after finding a home under the UFC banner
Mikey Musumeci has always been motivated by wanting to continue growing jiu-jitsu and submission grappling.
He believes that with the backing of the UFC, the sport now has the perfect platform to do that due to the solid foundations.
Speaking to the media after his win, Musumeci spoke about how UFC BJJ will inspire more athletes because it’s a promotion that isn’t going anywhere.
“I could’ve went to other organizations maybe and done different things, just to make a quick payday or things like that. But, I wanted to just focus on what would make our sport grow the most and sustainable, not just investors and then bankrupt. Investors bankrupt random organizations. I feel like what we did and what we’re doing is actually sustainable.”
UFC BJJ has already announced its schedule for the rest of the year with events taking place on July 31, October 2 and December 11.