Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) looks to be going all in on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with Dana White promising to, âtake BJJ to a whole other level.â On Thursday night, UFCâs CEO announced that it inked five-time IBJJF world champion, Mikey Musumeci, to a first-of-its-kind deal.
Mikey Musumeci Signs UFCâs First-Ever Exclusive BJJ Deal
âOver the course of the last year, Iâve been working on developing the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu program in the world. I am excited to announce that weâve signed Mikey Musumeci to the first ever exclusive BJJ promotional agreement in the companyâs history,â White announced.
âIf you donât know, Mikey is considered by many as the best BJJ player in the world. He is a multiple-time world champion and unbeaten in the past eight years at 135 pounds.â
With Musumeci landing the landmark UFC deal for grappling matches, White hinted that there will be more exclusive contracts with other BJJ stars soon.
This will be the first of many we will sign over the coming months,â White said.
Musumeci will make his debut against Felipe Machado at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9 on Dec. 5, 2024.
Concerns About Exclusive Deals In BJJ
A massive organization like UFC truly investing in jiu-jitsu is definitely an intriguing prospect, as it could really grow and push the sport into a more mainstream audience. At the same time, there are still a few questions and potential concerns about it, too.
With Dana White promising to sign many more BJJ athletes, just how restrictive are these âexclusiveâ deals going to be?
UFC Fight Pass Invitationals only happen every couple of months, and will obviously only have limited slots per event. In ONE Championshipâs case, a lot of talented grapplers on exclusive deals ended up with significantly reduced schedules, and lower level opposition.
Musumeci went from taking on fellow world champions and competing about a dozen times in 2021, to competing just seven times in three years with ONE. He mostly faced outmatched MMA fighters, before a bizarre title fiasco led to a bitter split.
With Musumeci already coming from a less than ideal restrictive deal, it seems that switching to a new one can lead to a far better situation. UFC of course isnât ONE, but itâll be curious to see if their next exclusive signings also run into similar issues.
Itâs probably fair to assume UFC grapplers wonât be allowed to compete in other professional orgs like WNO and ONE Championship, but can everyone still remain active? Will they be allowed to add more world titles to their resume, or will they be prevented from competing at major ADCC and IBJJF events? What about an annual Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) that promises $1 million to the tournament winners?
Perhaps more important, as UFC pushes through with its grappling expansion plans, will we still see the best of the best face off regularly?
So, UFC dipping their toe into grappling only matches at UFC events? Whatâs next, power slap finals in the octagon?
Hopefully Muay Thai with 4oz gloves.
Good for him, and another black eye for ONE.
Mikey deserves an opportunity like this after almost dying competing for an unserious promotion like ONE.
If One keeps on this trajectory. Iâll be surprised if theyâre still in business after 2025. If they donât secure more funds, itâs a wrap . They just laid off a dozen or more employees.
Oh Man
Well, heâs already Bangkok ready.
That look when youâre sitting next to the autistic guy all night.
next will be stamp fairtex getting the brakes beaten off of her by angie overkill
I wish we could see what kind of crowd theyâre getting for the Thailand events. The fighters there will usually compete for like $20 so they wouldnât have to sell many tickets.
This
The best thing to happen to muay thai/kickboxing is the 4oz gloves and bare knuckle
It sucks because ONE is far superior in every aspect that matters but financial.
imagine that
Sadly this is true. I had hopes for ONE but they completely fucked Mikey.
Fuck ONE for what they did to Mikey.
Thatâs what the BMF fights are for.
I personally love OnFcâs model of having high level mma, kickboxing, Muay Thai, boxing and grappling on the same card. Thatâs dope. I went to a local show last weekend and the undercard ran boxing or Muay Thai in a ring and mma in a cage right next to the ring. Itâs very awesome.
I love the muay thai and MMA. Ive done BJJ for 14 years and I still find the grappling boring as shit.