Mikey Musumeci clears air on weigh-in mishap: “ONE Championship never forced me” 

Mikey Musumeci has lastly spoken out after controversially dropping the ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title on the scales.  

“Darth Rigatoni” confronted a collection of hurdles within the lead-up to ONE 168: Denver on September 6. 

Initially, he was slated to maneuver up in weight for a showdown with light-weight king Kade Ruotolo. However the latter was compelled to withdraw as a consequence of an harm he sustained throughout the Craig Jones Invitational.  

With Musumeci’s spot on the cardboard in jeopardy, ONE Championship scrambled to seek out him an opponent. They secured one in Bebeto Oliveira. 

Musumeci was now set to defend his flyweight belt fairly than vie for Ruotolo’s light-weight crown. 

Simply when the whole lot appeared again on monitor, catastrophe struck. Musumeci didn’t make weight and couldn’t go the hydration check. Due to this, he misplaced his World Title. 

The mishap raised questions on how ONE dealt with issues. However in a uncommon second of vulnerability, the 28-year-old selected to take full accountability. 

“I need to make clear that ONE Championship by no means compelled me to do 135 [pounds] for this match. I’ve all the time made 135 fairly simply, and I used to be precisely the place I wanted to be in weight to make it,” he wrote in an Instagram publish. 

All through his profession, Musumeci has practiced Rickson diaphragm respiration workouts.  Sadly, it worsened his state. He raced straight to the hospital with pneumomediastinum. It’s a severe situation the place air escapes from the lungs into the mediastinum, a central compartment of the thoracic cavity. 

The damaging unwanted effects compelled Musumeci to withdraw from the affair totally, even after an openweight bout had been negotiated. 

“I all the time did this respiration as a type of meditation earlier than competitions, and the day earlier than weigh-ins, I used to be simply doing it to unwind and chill out my thoughts post-training, and hastily my neck, throat, and chest bought extraordinarily sore,” he stated.