"Who the f**k is going to take me down?" - Mikey Musumeci says he'll adopt a Muay Thai striking base if he dabbles into MMA
Fans often wonder how Mikey Musumeci would fare in mixed martial arts.
The biggest elephant in the room, of course, is if the ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion could develop the necessary striking skills to handle himself on the feet.
If Musumeci one day decides to take the plunge into MMA, he promises to use 'The Art of Eight Limbs.'
'Darth Rigatoni' told Ariel Helwani in his recent appearance on The MMA Hour:
"I think it's cool because most Muay Thai guys, they can't stand straight up like that, right? Because people will take them down. So who the f**k is going to take me down? They're just all going to stay back and box with me, right?"
Moreover, Musumeci admitted that the thought of hopping over to MMA had crossed his mind several times, adding:
"So I think I could kind of stand like a Muay Thai person. So I talked to Ryan Hall about this too, we were just talking about this."
Truth be told, Mikey Musumeci being adept in Muay Thai is not quite far-fetched. For starters, he's good friends with flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon, one of the finest strikers on the planet right now.
Plus, if the fight goes to the ground, we know the Evolve MMA superstar can more than hold his own.
Mikey Musumeci says MMA transition is still a possibility
There's no denying that Mikey Musumeci is one of the pound-for-pound best grapplers in the game right now.
While he wants to continue achieving great things in 'The Gentle Art,' he's also not closing the doors on a possible MMA move in the near future.
'Darth Rigatoni' told Ariel Helwani:
"I'm only 27. I've been learning a lot of wrestling. I've been working with a lot of people for wrestling recently. I'm just a student of the game. I just love learning. I have this white belt mentality. I just love learning."
In the meantime, Musumeci will first look to become a two-division world champion by challenging Kade Ruotolo for the lightweight submission grappling crown at ONE 168: Denver.
That star-studded card will emanate from Ball Arena on September 6, live in US Primetime and free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Watch the full interview: