Jon Jones praises Mikey Musumeci for shining spotlight on mental health: “Officially call myself a fan”

By BJPENN.COM Staff - November 29, 2023

Mikey Musumeci has recently added another fan to his impressive list of admirers, and it’s none other than Jon Jones.

Mikey Musumeci

This unexpected interaction between the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu virtuoso and one of MMA’s greatest athletes has taken the sports world by storm, further solidifying Musumeci’s impact beyond the mats.

In a recent Instagram post, Musumeci bared his soul. He recounted the personal struggle with mental health that he has faced over the last couple of years.

It was this raw and honest account that seemingly struck a chord with Jones, prompting the future MMA Hall of Famer to express his appreciation for Musumeci’s candor.

“Yeah, I can officially call myself a fan,” Jones wrote in the comment section.

This isn’t the first time Musumeci has garnered attention from a notable figure. It’s worth recalling that Meta mogul Mark Zuckerberg put in some rounds with “Darth Rigatoni” in a private training session.

Musumeci is hailed as one of the best grapplers in the world today. He holds the distinction of being the first American to achieve the feat of winning more than one IBJJF World Title as a black belt.

In 2022, Musumeci took a bold step by directing his career path toward ONE Championship. He made history in the same year, becoming the inaugural ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion.

Mikey Musumeci advocates for mental health awareness

Beyond his achievements as an athlete, Mikey Musumeci has emerged as a vocal advocate for mental health awareness.

In recent years, he has candidly shared his own struggles with depression and anxiety. In fact, he emphasized the importance of addressing these issues as the first step toward healing.

“I have been broken; I have been weak; I have felt like quitting and giving up, yet I stand here achieving things I thought were impossible. No matter how uncomfortable we feel, no matter how much pain we are going through, we can overcome it,” he said before his bout at ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video this past August.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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