5 Killer Moves From 2 Time Black Belt World Champion Mikey Musumeci

By Matt Bryers, February 15, 2019

Mikey Musumeci is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor. He is a black belt under Gilbert “Durinho” Burns as well as Jonatas “Tagarela” Gurgel. Mikey is part of a new up and coming generation of black belt all stars in the international competitive circuit. Like many others, Mikey began to attract interest towards him while competing in lower belt divisions in the sport and winning sequential world titles. Musumeci has what could be defined as a very modern style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His techniques rely on positions like the berimbolo and the crab ride.

Mikey is the 4th US national to conquer an IBJJF world title in the male black belt division. His is also the first American to win this title two times in their career. Some of his notable titles are IBJJF World Champion, IBJJF Pan American Champion, IBJJF American National, IBJJF World No Gi Champion, UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Champion, and UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam LA Champion. And at age 26, Mikey has only just begun to write his legacy. He has a bright future ahead of him and we are glad to have him featured in two of his very own instructional series available exclusively right here at BJJFanatics.com!

Never Have Your Guard Passed Again & Sharpen Up Your Back Takes Like Never Before – Taught By The Most Accomplished American Grappler Of All Time

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The first two techniques we are going to check out are a part of Mikey Musumeci’s instructional series called “Power Switch Guard Retention and Genius Back Takes.” This series is loaded with tons of great information that will help you with a variety of guards, transitions and submissions. If you have ever watched Mikey grapple then you already know he is very flexible and mobile, and can move around his opponent quite easily. With that said, let’s get started!

#1: Long Step Knee Cut Pass Defense by Mikey Musumeci

This is a really cool defense to prevent the long step knee cut pass. It can completely stop your opponent from passing by addressing where all the power in the pass comes from. Mikey also addresses some common mistakes that when fixed will greatly improve your game! Check out the video below and then we will break down Mikey’s technique!

In a case where your opponent is set to pass your guard using a knee cut, he might often be controlling your far leg with a gi pant grip while also gripping your collar on the side he is going to pass on. As your training partner clears your far leg he will drop his shoulder, putting his head directly next your head. This allows him or her to control your hips and easily pass your guard. But Mikey shows us how to prevent this. As demonstrated by Mikey, all of the power in your opponent’s pass is coming from the far shoulder, which makes framing a waste of time and energy. Instead what you want to do is establish a collar grip on your opponent’s shoulder. You should reinforce this by placing your foot on the shoulder as well. Notice that this takes a little flexibility, which makes sense as Mikey is a smaller guy. Anyways, this is a very important part of the knee cut pass defense because it will prevent your training partner from being able to do the knee cut, having shut down all the power in the pass. Now that you have taken away all the power, pull your opponent’s tricep into your body then take your leg out. Now you have the ability to attack. Mikey likes to put the ball of his foot in his opponent’s hip as it helps him reposition his body.

#2: Inside Grip Torreando Defense by Mikey Musumeci

The Inside Grip Torreando Defense by Mikey Musumeci is a defense is simple enough that when broken down into its fundamental concepts even a white belt can understand it. Mikey’s defense is very dynamic. I am sure you have been caught here before and your opponent has had a relatively easy time controlling your legs and passing. But with these fundamental principles you can make your guard much more dynamic and even set up some great opportunities to attack your opponent’s arms and neck. All it takes is good leg and feet positioning and good grips to break down your opponent’s posture and use his upper body to destabilize his base. Watch the video below and then we will break down Musumeci’s inside grip torreando defense technique. Check it out now!

This is a great defense technique from a guard position. In a case where your opponent has both inside grips on your knees it is likely they are going to throw your legs and step around to the side in order to pass. A you probably already know, this is your basic Torreando pass that most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players like to use, especially lower belts who do not know many other passes. To defend against this, Mikey first adjusts his legs so that they go over his training partner’s arms and grips. He places his feet on the outside of his opponent’s shoulders. Keep in mind that if you hook under the arm pits you set yourself up for an easy stack pass. You want to avoid that at all costs. That is a very important detail, so remember it. Continuing on, Mikey likes to grab a cross collar grip and same side sleeve grip. Now he can scoot backwards which causes his opponent to lean in, breaking down his posture. This is great because the more your training partner leans in the more you can attack his or her upper body with techniques such as triangles, arm locks and also neck chokes. Awesome! All of your attacks happen when your opponent leans in. This is a key detail to the Torreando defense.

So far so good! Those two techniques are really cool. If you liked those then I definitely recommend you check out Mikey’s “Power Switch Guard Retention and Genius Back Takes” instructional series! Now we will take a look at three more of his techniques. Are you ready? These are from Mikey’s latest instructional series called “High Percentage IBJJF Legal Footlocks.” These are some great techniques, and they come from the man with the most foot lock submissions at Worlds. Mikey Musumeci is a multiple time black belt world champion who is infamous for his IBJJF legal lower body attacks. So if you are looking for some great new leg lock techniques then this is just for you. Let’s get going!

#3: Straight Knee Ankle Lock by Mikey Musumeci

Nowadays everyone is trying leg locks. Let’s face it; you just can’t get away ignoring the lower half of the body anymore. In competition, you are at a major deficit if you do not know anything about leg locks. The concepts are intermediate movements for the most part and are generally taught to Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners at blue belt or higher. Generally, leg locks are not taught at a white belt level and are banned from competition. But that does not mean you should be exploring and thinking about leg locks. Eventually you will be exposed to a BJJ player who loves attacking leg locks, so you should at least be familiar with them.

There are many different types of leg locks you can go for so let’s take a look at this first one, the straight knee ankle lock. Mikey is a wizard at this submission. If you have ever seen him compete then you will likely have seen him use this before. Check out the video below!

You have to admit that is a really awesome submission! Mikey breaks this down into very simple steps. The first thing is does is secure his training partner’s ankle while switching to his side in order to get into an ankle lock submission position. Normally what happens here is that your opponent will naturally counter by opening up your hip which allows them to turn you to the opposite side. Keep in mind that when your training partner closes his knee it changes the angle of his hip. This will change all the pressure on his knee and ankle now that everything is inline. You will need to alter your position so that the pressure is straight on with your opponent’s leg. Now open your elbow up and grip your own gi to adjust your position.

Mikey emphasizes the importance of your elbow and forearm in this technique, especially when hitting the submission. Make sure your elbow is open. You should think of your forearm as a “blade” that is slicing behind your opponent’s ankle. By pushing down with your elbow you force more pressure with your forearm. This will force your opponent to tap no matter what! Trust me, it is very painful.

#4: Cross Ankle Defense To Straight Ankle Lock by Mikey Musumeci

In this video, Mikey shows his patented cross ankle defense to straight ankle lock. This is a great submission for anyone, no matter your level of experience. Check it out below!

In the ankle lock position, whenever your opponent starts attacking your foot what you want to do is pull forward getting your knee to your chest. Then push to get your heel out of his socket. Now there is no ankle lock and your foot is safe. Now your training partner is in a bad spot because you are able to come up and attack your own straight ankle lock.

#5: Knee Bar Setup by Mikey Musumeci

The knee bar is an excellent leg lock submission! The knee bar is like an arm bar for the legs. It uses the same principles of using a fulcrum point to create leverage depending on the proper angles. Let us check it out! Watch the video below now.

Based on your opponent’s reaction, you can use this knee bar to get a quick submission. In a case where you go for a toe hold you always want to control outside the knee before getting up over the leg. In a case where you can’t get the toe hold then move your head to the opposite side of the foot and place your leg underneath the hip. When you place your leg under the hip you can use your head to pressure down on the foot. With his toes pointed towards the mat take your leg out and lock your legs. From here simply apply pressure to finish the submission.

Talk about some great instructions from Mikey Musumeci! I hope you enjoyed these. Be sure to give them a try the next time you are on the mats in a live roll, they will definitely help improve your overall game. If you are looking for more then be sure to check out both of Mikey’s instructional series available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!