Mikey Musumeci Addresses Weigh-In Controversy and Near-Career-Ending Health Crisis

Mikey Musumeci

Mikey Musumeci, the celebrated Brazilian jiu-jitsu star known as “Darth Rigatoni,” has broken his silence following the controversy surrounding his weigh-in failure at ONE 168: Denver on September 6. The weigh-in mishap led to him losing his ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title, sparking widespread speculation about how the situation was handled.

Originally, Musumeci was set to face lightweight submission grappling champion Kade Ruotolo. However, Ruotolo was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained during the Craig Jones Invitational. In a bid to keep Musumeci on the card, ONE Championship arranged for him to defend his flyweight title against Bebeto Oliveira.

Just as things seemed to stabilize, Musumeci faced another setback: he couldn’t make the weight and failed his hydration test, causing him to lose the title before the fight even began. While some speculated that Musumeci had been pressured by ONE Championship, the 28-year-old cleared the air in an Instagram post, taking full responsibility.

“I want to clarify that ONE Championship never forced me to do 135 [pounds] for this match. I’ve always made 135 rather easily, and I was exactly where I needed to be in weight to make it,” Musumeci explained.

The problem, it turned out, was unrelated to the usual pre-fight pressures. Musumeci had been practicing Rickson diaphragm breathing exercises—something he often did to relax before a competition—when suddenly, his body reacted negatively. He experienced extreme soreness in his neck, throat, and chest, which forced him to rush to the hospital. The diagnosis was pneumomediastinum, a serious condition where air escapes from the lungs into the central thoracic cavity.

Despite the scare, Musumeci expressed gratitude for how things turned out, even after being sidelined from the fight. He said,

“God has everything happen for a reason; I’m alive today because of how everything turned out. It wasn’t my time to go yet, and I’m so grateful and fortunate to be alive”

Through this ordeal, Musumeci’s resilience shone brightly, even if his body failed him at a critical moment.