‘It’s Literally Just A Math Problem”: Mikey Musumeci Explains Why He Loves Competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Published 09/29/2022, 1:06 AM EDT

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci tackles any issues on the mats the same way he solves a math equation, and he’ll be looking to do that in his upcoming fight.

The Italian-American star takes on old rival Cleber Sousa for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title at ONE on Prime Video 2 this coming Friday, September 30.

And unlike most martial arts athletes, he prefers to break down his fights into formulas rather than focus on sharpening his skills and tools.

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“It’s literally just a math problem to me. And do I have the answer or not? And competing in jiu-jitsu is different from training because it really exposes you, do you have it or not?” the grappling sensation offered.

“Do you have it? Yes. If you do, you win. If you don’t, you lose. And then if you lose, that’s okay. You can compete again the next week, you know,” Musumeci said.

The 26-year-old will take a similar approach in his World Title tilt, but this time, there are a couple of unique variables to consider.

Musumeci and Sousa have met twice before, so he will be able to add up his mistakes and successes in both fights to decipher a code to besting the Brazilian again.

“Darth Rigatoni” failed to find the right strategy when the pair first met. But when they rematched a couple of months later, his calculated approach to every movement and possible submission attempt was spot on.

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He fixed his errors from their initial encounter and earned a decisive win, giving him confidence ahead of their historic trilogy showdown.

If he wins ONE‘s first-ever grappling World Title, Musumeci will, undoubtedly, be happy. But if he doesn’t, he endeavors to use it as a learning experience.

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“You just fix your mistake and go back. You can’t have too big of an ego and be Iike, oh, make an excuse, and then you go back,” he added.

“If you made a mistake, you have to fix it. So, I use these competitions to just fix any mistakes that I’m making,” he said.

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Starting off as a tennis author in 2018, Varun Khanna has gone on to contribute to EssentiallySports in various capacities. After setting up interviews with the likes of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Alizé Cornet, and Noah Rubin, Varun is now part of all major ATP and WTA press conferences and has gone on to pen more than 1300 articles for EssentiallySports. He now heads the tennis and NBA division of the organization.