UFC BJJ received major backlash following the announcement of their next headliner. In a match that nobody is really eager to see, Musumeci will take on a competitor who lost to a purple belt last weekend.
But this isn’t the full story. Apparently, this matchup only came together after botched negotiations between Claudia Gadelha and João Miyao.
A highly anticipated rematch between Mikey Musumeci and João Miyao has collapsed, with the Miyao camp placing the blame squarely on how UFC BJJ handled the negotiation process.
The match had appeared to be a natural next step for Mikey Musumeci. João Miyao competed in a recent UFC BJJ event against Jussier Formiga, whom he defeated, and a face-off between the two men took place at matside immediately after. While Miyao isn’t the ideal opponent, he is still a formidable one with considerable star power in the community.
Behind the scenes, negotiations between João Miyao and UFC BJJ broke down over money. Miyao was reportedly asking for more than the organization was willing to pay. However, it was what happened next that caused the real damage. Claudia Gadelha allegedly disclosed to Musumeci the exact demand João had asked for.
Musumeci‘s response was swift. He posted a public callout video expressing his frustration.
“Hey guys, it’s Mikey from Brazil here and I have news for you. Unfortunately, João doesn’t want a match against me. While he was competing for free this week at the PANS, because he did like three or four matches for free, now he’s asking for a lot, a lot of money to have a match with me, much more than I’m earning, and he won’t accept it if he doesn’t get that money. So he’ll compete every week in a competition for free, but just one match with me, he won’t do. Tell me what’s going on. And it’s fine, I don’t have a problem with him. If he doesn’t want to have a match with me, okay, just say that. But if you say you’re willing to have a match with me, talking about wanting to do the match, and then you won’t accept it because you want too much money, money you’ll never get, then come on, João, tell us.”
João responded with equal disappointment, saying he was negotiating directly with Claudia and felt it was a breach of trust that his specific asking price was passed on to his potential opponent.
João Miyao‘s financial position arguably gave him the leverage to walk away. His argument was straightforward: a title match against Musumeci would require him to put his life on hold for roughly two months, canceling seminars and forgoing his current income. A meaningful pay increase from his first match was reasonable.
A random Brazilian supporter even offered publicly to fund the match himself, an offer Musumeci enthusiastically amplified, despite it reflecting poorly on the organization he represents as its top draw.
This is just another episode showing how inept UFC BJJ really is. They seem dedicated to clutching their purse strings all while trying to present their titles as meaningful.
