ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci may be one of the most decorated grapplers in the world, but he faces obstacles in his daily life like everyone else. In his most recent outing, at ONE Fight Night 10 last month, “Darth Rigatoni” successfully defended his division crown against his toughest opponent yet in IBJJF No-Gi World Champion Osamah Almarwai. 

The win may have come relatively easily, but Musumeci revealed that his preparation for the matchup had been complicated by a bout of depression during his post-fight interview.

Mikey Musumeci detailed how he drew motivation from depression and helped others

Far from being overcome by such issues, the 26-year-old says that he uses them as motivation to succeed, and that helps more than the thought of any accolade or prize. “I have already won every title I wanted in jiu-jitsu. It’s not about winning titles anymore. It’s about inspiring and helping people. Having an impact on others so that they can overcome whatever obstacles they have in life,” Musumeci told ONE Championship. 

“So now that I’m in the position I’m in, I have a responsibility not only to perform and compete, but also to share my stories of life and overcoming the things that I have [faced].”

Mental health and depression are significant obstacles in many people’s lives, but not everyone truly understands how they affect a person. While the global pandemic served to open up a more free flowing conversation, it’s still a topic that isn’t easy to share with others. Musumeci aims to change that by being more open to discussing his weaknesses, and he hopes it will help to inspire people to be open with theirs.

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“Something I’ve learned from having depression is when you’re in that state. Nothing makes you feel better – food, money, nothing. The only thing that made me feel better was when I helped people. When I made somebody smile. When I made someone’s day better. That gave me a purpose to keep living,” he said.

Mikey Musumeci wanted the mentally ill to never give up hope

“I’m like, ‘Okay, I feel horrible, but at least the people around me are benefiting from me.’ So I feel like that gives me a purpose to live another day. So my biggest thing with competing now is to try to impact others and inspire others”. The grappling great asserts that he isn’t looking for sympathy by sharing his situation.

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He simply wants to show anyone who is afraid of talking about mental health issues that even an accomplished World Champion like him can also fall into dark places at times. “That is why I share [about] depression. I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. All I care about is showing someone that if you are struggling, I went through it also. You’re not alone. You could overcome it also,” Musumeci said.