Since Mikey Musumeci signed an exclusive deal with the UFC, he aims to bring more structure to the sport and clean up Jiu-Jitsu’s steroid problem.
Read about Musumeci’s goal below and if cleaning up Jiu-Jitsu is possible.
Musumeci and Jiu-Jitsu’s Steroid Problem
Mikey Musumeci has been the biggest advocate against steroid use in Jiu-Jitsu. He has claimed on many occasions that 99% of the sport is on steroids and PEDs.
The rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs has led Mikey to question the character of Jiu-Jitsu’s top athletes.
“A lot of jiu-jitsu right now is very unstable. There’s a lot of horrible ethics, morals, and I hope now that with the UFC we can change that and make it a professional sport.
Because it hasn’t been a professional sport, Jiu-Jitsu, with people blatantly using performance-enhancing drugs. They’re not athletes. They really don’t have the values of martial artists. I really just want to change that and give us this platform at UFC and become professionals.”- Mikey Musumeci.
Mikey believes that the inclusion of drug testing will bring stability and order into the sport.
“We need drug testing. Completely make Darwinism with the people on steroids. They either have to just get off and they either die or they adapt. Then the next generation realizes they can’t just start steroids when they’re like 10 years old. I want to change that. That will give me the most fulfillment.”-Mikey Musumeci.
Bring Better Structure to the Sport
Another aspect of Jiu-Jitsu that Musumeci has been highly critical of is its lack of structure. He hopes that as the UFC begins to promote the sport, they will bring professionalism to its development.
“The UFC IS a professional company. “The way we’ve been in Jiu-Jitsu, we’ve been amateurs. We really are just in this barbaric amateur phase of Jiu-Jitsu. Now, the UFC is starting something professional. I’m so blessed for them for putting the effort into jiu-jitsu to change it. I’m so eager for them to do that.”- Musumeci.
Is Cleaning Up Jiu-Jitsu a Pipe Dream?
We commend Mikey Musumeci for trying to improve grappling and clean up the sport. However, the UFC’s promotion of Jiu-Jitsu will certainly not clean up the sport.
The UFC does have an anti-doping program, but it has not stopped PED use. Instead, athletes have only learned to beat the system and not get caught.
We’re going to see a lot of Jiu-Jitsu athletes get caught initially, but it will not stop steroid and PED use. Like athletes in every other sport, grapplers will learn how to game the system.
Although Musumeci’s goal of better organizing the sport is achievable. The UFC will improve the organization the sport and make it more presentable to a bigger audience.
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.
