Mikey Musumeci: ONE Has the Best Strikers in the World

Mikey Musumeci may be one of the best grapplers on the planet, but he has a keen eye for striking as well, and he isn’t shy about comparing his One Championship roster mates to the talent on offer in other organizations.

Echoing the frequent claim of CEO Chatri Sityodtong that One Championship is home to the greatest martial artists in the world, Musumeci believes that ONE’s strikers are second to none. The 27-year-old grappling prodigy told Sherdog, “ONE has the best muay Thai people in the world, right? Like, we literally have Rodtang, Superlek, Tawanchai, all the best muay Thai people in the world. So, there's no way that you could argue the level of the Muay Thai, the level of the stand-up with kickboxing and Muay Thai in One Championship compared to [the Ultimate Fighting Championship].”

“I also see One Championship being different than the UFC,” Musumeci said. “I see it as a whole different thing. I don't see them the same. People comparing them, I think ONE is a lot different. It's a martial art organization, it has multiple disciplines of martial arts. UFC is just MMA, and it's more about s--- talking. It’s a different style.”

Since its inception in 2011, ONE has provided some of the best fights outside of traditional MMA and has helped grow the popularity of other disciplines. Musumeci believes it’s ONE’s versatility that makes the organization a worldwide leader in combat.

“Since I was a little kid, I watched Tito [Ortiz], Chuck Liddell, all those guys, right? And I've never seen anything in my life like the One Championship fight between Rodtang and Superlek,” Musumeci admitted. “The energy in that place when they fought, I was shaking. Like, I was shivering and shaking just from how powerful that energy was. So, it's really exciting what One Championship is doing.”

Musumeci, who hails from New Jersey, is also excited that One Championship continues to make inroads into the United States. The promotion’s U.S. debut in May featured many of the top names on the ONE roster, including Musumeci, who successfully defended his flyweight submission grappling title against Osamah Almawarai. After One on Prime Video 10, Sityodtong announced the promotion would hold four live US events in 2024. With his customary enthusiasm, “Darth Rigatoni” sees it as the beginning of something big.

“It’s a brand-new market for America,” Musumeci said. “America doesn't know. It’s just the beginning. We’ve only had one event in the U.S., so America is going to go crazy over One Championship in the upcoming months to years. I see it exploding here.”