Earlier today Mikey Mucumeci announced through an Instagram post that he and One Championship will be parting ways. Earlier in the year he announced he had returned to the United States and was excited to be back but made no illusions that it will be permanent. In his post today he announced his departure from living in Asia will be permanent and he will no longer be competing under One Championship, after almost three years filled with memorable experiences, friendships, and significant achievements, including becoming the first submission grappling world champion under the organization. He expressed his deep gratitude to One Championship for the opportunities provided and will now focus on living in the US to begin a new chapter in his life. You can read his IG post in full here.
This announcement comes after Mikey’s failed weight cut earlier this year where he attempted to cut over 35 lbs in 5 days. Mikey had originally be scheduled to face Kade Ruotolo in One 168 on Sept. 6th but after Kade dropped out due to injury Mikey was asked to defend his flyweight title against Bebeto Olivera. This left him with a very short period to cut the weight to 135 lbs. During the cut Mikey injured his lung in a condition called pneumomediastinum. The condition is life threatening and left Mikey hospitalized, ultimately failing the cut. As a result One Championship stripped Mikey of his title.
It is not known whether losing his flyweight titled played a role in Mucumeci choosing to leave One Championship or not but with no reason stated we are only left to speculate. While it is unfortunate to see Mikey leave One where he had many exciting matches his moves leave’s him with many more potential matchups in different organizations such as WNO, IBJJF Crown, CJI and ADCC to name a few. The grappling community eagerly anticipates his next big move in the sport.