UFC welterweight Phil Rowe has made some controversial comments about grappler Mikey Musumeci, suggesting that the BJJ star may be exaggerating his autism for attention and branding purposes.
During an appearance on The Casuals MMA podcast, Rowe was discussing the recent UFC BJJ event when the conversation turned to Musumeci’s dominant performances in grappling competitions. While acknowledging Musumeci’s technical skills, Rowe expressed skepticism about the authenticity of some of his behaviors.
“I think he plays that s**t up, bro,”
Rowe stated bluntly when asked about Musumeci’s autism diagnosis. The MMA star went on to describe specific behaviors he’s observed from Musumeci at grappling events that he believes are performative rather than genuine.
Rowe pointed to Musumeci’s pre-competition routines as evidence of his theory.
“Every match he’s ever been in, I saw him eat a steak. You know, you only eat pasta lighting,”
he said, referencing Musumeci’s well-documented dietary restrictions.
“He will come out in any match, any grappling match, a wide open mat. He’ll go to the checkpoint. Get on the mat. Cut it out. The ref is calling you over. Get the f**k out of here.”
The welterweight described witnessing what he perceived as inconsistent behavior from Musumeci during a grappling event.
“I had a grappling match against Gordon and Cody Steel. I forget which one it was, but in the hotel we were doing jiu-jitsu and before the match and Mikey was teaching his students and they were like adults. Older adults. And I’m rolling with Craig and I look over, he says, ‘Why the f**k would you do that?’ I’m like, me and Craig are crying laughing.”
Rowe claimed this interaction revealed a different side of Musumeci than what the public typically sees.
“We’re like, ‘Oh s**t he’s f**king normal.’ And cursing out two grown men was epic.”
The MMA star suggested that Musumeci’s quirks and behaviors might be part of a calculated branding strategy rather than genuine expressions of his neurodivergent condition. He pointed to specific competition footage where Musumeci appears confused about basic directions, questioning whether someone who helps design competition setups would genuinely be confused about where to go.
“Watch this. I can’t go hang out with the fans. Wait, what? Oh, I’m competing. Wait, I can’t go see my mom. Wait, no. I can’t. First off, the ring is that way, bro,”
Rowe said, describing Musumeci’s pre-match behavior.
“He always does that s**t. It drives me insane.”
These comments come at a time when Musumeci has gained significant attention in the grappling world, with many fans and competitors praising his unique approach to the sport and his openness about being on the autism spectrum. His success has made him one of the most recognizable figures in competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Rowe’s statements have sparked debate within the MMA and grappling communities, with some questioning whether this might indeed be a branding strategy. Musumeci famously copied Khabib‘s pointing at God gesture in the past and is clearly aware of branding. To boot, he often uses his PED talking points to garner major publicity so he’s certainly got skin in the game.
