In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, UFC BJJ’s Mikey Musumeci addressed the criticism he faces from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community, particularly regarding accusations that his style and approach are “feminine” or “ga y.”
When Helwani asked about the hate he received after his recent victory, where he performed the iconic Karate Kid at the beginning of his match, Musumeci explained exactly what the hardcore jiu-jitsu community thinks about his approach.
“More the jiu-jitsu hardcores. They um it’s a very stupid thing, but basically like they they think it’s okay. It’s like manly, it’s like masculine, it’s tough. Uh if you just wrestle and you just collar tie and nothing happens, like one of the most boring [expletive] matches ever. But if you go in and you just try to submit the person as fast as you can, that’s that’s g ay. That’s feminine, you know? Like it’s like so weird,”
Musumeci said.
The champion expressed his frustration with the double standard he faces from critics. Despite finishing his match in under three minutes with his signature “Mikey Lock” submission, he still faced criticism.
“I just was looking to submit the match as fast as possible and my match was less than 3 minutes and then people like, ‘Oh, that was boring,'”
he explained.
“So, I can’t win with these people.”
Regarding the Karate Kid tribute that drew particular ire, Musumeci defended his choice by connecting it to his heritage:
“I should be ashamed of myself doing a karate kid, but Daniel Laruso is an Italian kid from New Jersey just like me. So, I had to honor him.”
The 29-year-old champion acknowledged that the hate comes with being at the top of his sport. Musumeci seemed to miss the point that doing that once might be homage, doing it twice is cringe.
“I’m learning that now. that how much hate you get being in this position, Ariel. Like I never realized that, but um I’m getting better with it over time. It’s just I’m very sensitive as you know.”
Despite the criticism from hardcore fans, Musumeci‘s popularity continues to surge. He revealed that his Instagram page has exploded to 73 million views in a month and he’s gaining over 10,000 followers daily.
“I am blowing up, you know, like it’s unheard of for a jiu-jitsu athlete,”
he noted.
The champion sees the entertainment value in what he brings to the sport, believing that jiu-jitsu needs more exciting elements to appeal to broader audiences.
“I’m jiu-jitsu is boring. We need things that make it exciting, you know, just random things like that just to appeal to people,”
he explained.
While acknowledging that hardcore fans were “annoyed at the Daniel Laruso” stance, Musumeci stands by his approach:
“it is freaking cool going out as a karate kid.”
