During a recent interview, Kade Ruotolo inadvertently revealed that the UFC is developing a project involving BJJ stars Gordon Ryan and Mikey Musumeci. This revelation aligns with UFC President Dana White‘s recent announcement at the 2024 SBJ Media Innovators conference about the organization’s plans to launch a BJJ reality show.
“I think he’s doing something with Mikey Musumeci and him are possibly going to do some sort of like Ultimate Fighter type things for Jiu-Jitsu possibly I think,”
Ruotolo mentioned during the interview, providing the first concrete hint about potential participants in the UFC’s new venture.
The pairing is particularly intriguing given the ongoing war of words between the two athletes, especially regarding PED use in the sport. Musumeci has been adamant that jiu-jitsu needs to “clean up its act” to reach the next level, while Ryan has taken the opposite stance, stating that
“people want to see the enhanced athletes give their best.”
Ryan has explicitly stated,
“PEDs, one way or the other—if a tournament wants to have them, great; if they don’t want to have them, great… people want to see the world’s best athletes.”
Their conflict extends beyond PED discussions. Ryan recently criticized Musumeci‘s frequent team changes in a scathing Instagram post, where he labeled athletes who hop between teams as “leeches” and “parasites.” This criticism was specifically directed at Musumeci‘s extensive training history, which includes stints with multiple prominent teams including Fatijo’s Martial Arts Academy, American Top Team, WMB Miami, and the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
The timing of this leak coincides with Musumeci‘s groundbreaking transition from ONE Championship to the UFC, where he has emphasized his vision for professionalizing the sport with proper testing protocols. This development is part of TKO Group’s larger strategy to consolidate all combat sports under its umbrella by the end of 2025, with White confirming they’re
“literally launching a reality show and then gonna start putting on shows”
in the BJJ space.
If this pairing materializes, it would bring together two of the sport’s most prominent figures who represent starkly different philosophies about jiu-jitsu’s future direction. While neither the UFC, Musumeci, nor Ryan have officially commented on their specific involvement, their contrasting viewpoints and existing rivalry could provide compelling content for the UFC’s new venture into the grappling world.
