Mikey Musumeci knows elite grappling when he feels it.
The UFC BJJ Bantamweight champion returns to action against reigning IBJJF champion Shay Montague in the main event of UFC BJJ 5 this Thursday (Feb. 12, 2026) inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ahead of the matchup, Musumeci spoke with MMAmania.com and was asked a simple question: which active mixed martial artist he has rolled with has the best pure grappling?
His answer came quickly — Umar Nurmagomedov.
“I’m not going to count jiu-jitsu
world champions, because I’d say Gilbert Burns,” Musumeci said. “He’s my coach and the guy who gave me my black belt, but that doesn’t count. I’d say Umar was very good. I’ve said this before — of course, their game is for MMA and getting punched and everything, so it’s a little different — but he has very good jiu-jitsu. I was very impressed with him.”
Burns receiving praise is nothing new. A few years ago, BJJ champion Nicky Rod also named Burns among the very best grapplers in MMA. Still, Nurmagomedov earning that distinction carries weight, given his background in Dagestan’s grappling-heavy system — and the fact that he fancies himself a striker.
Musumeci rolled with Nurmagomedov ahead of his fight at UFC 324 and didn’t hold back his admiration.
“I love Umar,” Musumeci said. “Honestly, out of all the MMA jiu-jitsu guys I’ve trained with, he’s probably the best. He could beat a lot of the jiu-jitsu guys I compete against. I was super impressed. I love training with him, and I’ll probably go to Dagestan later this year to train more with those guys and learn more wrestling and that style.”
Nurmagomedov is coming off a ho-hum unanimous decision win over Deiveson Figueiredo and appears to be inching closer to another UFC Bantamweight title shot.
