TLDR
- Mikey Musumeci defeated UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell in a grappling match on September 24
- The four-time BJJ world champion plans to make his MMA debut before the end of 2026
- Musumeci’s goal is to win the UFC flyweight championship at 125 pounds
- He has been training MMA for three months at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas under John Wood
- Musumeci had planned to fight in MMA the day after beating Mitchell, but the bout fell through
Sources: yardbarker.com | sherdog.com | mmasucka.com | x.com
Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Mikey Musumeci has announced plans to transition to mixed martial arts with his sights set on the UFC flyweight championship. The 30-year-old made the announcement after defeating UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell in a grappling match at UFC BJJ 11 on September 24.
Musumeci is widely considered one of the best BJJ practitioners in the world. He has won four IBJJF world championships and captured the ONE FC flyweight grappling title during his career.
Mikey Musumeci guarantees he will make his MMA debut this year:
“I really want to do this. I’m 30 years old. I don’t have that much time left in my life to compete like this, so I don’t want any what-ifs.
I’m loving the MMA training. I’m addicted to it. I want to see how far I… pic.twitter.com/738kKbpgpq
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 29, 2026
From Grappling Mat to MMA Cage
The New Jersey native told reporter Ariel Helwani that his ultimate goal is to compete in the UFC at 125 pounds. “My goal would be to go to the UFC at 125 pounds and win that belt,” Musumeci said.
He admitted he has a lot of work ahead of him. “I have a lot of work to do before then. That’s us seeing super far ahead. One match at a time. Let’s get my level up, let’s get me not to get killed standing and let’s get me to the floor.”
Musumeci currently holds the UFC BJJ Bantamweight championship. He expects to vacate that title as he focuses on his MMA career.
The grappling star revealed he was scheduled to make his MMA debut the day after his match with Mitchell. “I was actually supposed to compete the day after in another organization for MMA right after my match with Bryce,” he said. “I was going to finish my match with Bryce, take a red-eye somewhere else and then fight MMA.”
That fight fell through, but Musumeci guaranteed he will make his MMA debut before the end of 2026. His manager is currently in talks with multiple promotions.
Training Under John Wood at Syndicate MMA
Musumeci has been training at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas under coach John Wood. The gym has produced UFC-level fighters including bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili and lightweight Nazim Sadykhov.
After three months of MMA training, Musumeci says his progress has been rapid. “I’m like three months into MMA training now. I’ve improved so much in three months and I feel like I’m only getting better,” he said.
His main focus has been developing his striking skills. “Let’s get my level up, let’s get me not to get killed standing and let’s get me to the floor,” Musumeci explained about his training priorities.
Musumeci used his performance against Mitchell to make his case for MMA success. He took down the UFC fighter twice during their grappling match. “I took down Bryce twice, a high level MMA wrestler. Didn’t he take down Ilia Topuria multiple times?” Musumeci said. “So like I kind of showed people that I do have wrestling.”
The UFC flyweight title has been held by legendary fighters including Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo. Joshua Van currently holds the championship.
Musumeci explained his motivation for the switch at age 30. “I really want to do this. I’m 30 years old. I don’t have that much time left in my life to compete like this, so I don’t want any what-ifs,” he said. “I’m loving the MMA training. I’m addicted to it. I want to see how far I can go.”
The BJJ champion said he enjoys being in a student role again. “I kind of like being the underdog and having to work my way up and being a student of the game again. I love feeling like I’m a white belt again. I have to learn,” Musumeci told Helwani.
Musumeci grew up training in MMA and Muay Thai as a child before focusing solely on Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His manager Abe is currently negotiating with multiple organizations for his first professional MMA bout.
