Fight Path: Bellator 93's Mike Mucitelli and his accidental path to MMA

The first time Mike Mucitelli accepted an MMA fight, all he really wanted were some tickets.

It was about five years ago, and the former high school football, basketball and baseball standout had strayed from his disciplined path after ending his sports careers. A roommate had introduced him to capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that includes music and dance as part of its training.

So, with an interest in martial arts, Mucitelli heard there was a local MMA show coming up near where he lived. There was a number included, so he decided to call to see if he could go.

“The guy was this reverend, and he was a character,” Mucitelli told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I asked him about the show, and he started asking me things like my height and weight, my experience, stuff like that. He said he would call me back, and I hung up the phone and thought, ‘Why did he ask me all that stuff?’

“Then he called me back and said, ‘I got you an opponent.’ I remember I was drinking a Coors Light, and I set it down and thought, ‘Well, I guess I shouldn’t be doing that now.’”

The 29-year-old resident of Syracuse, N.Y., won that strange amateur debut, which was an accidental beginning to what has become an impressive start to his MMA career. Coming off two straight Bellator MMA wins, the light heavyweight will face Brent Dillingham on March 21 at Bellator 93 hoping to improve on his undefeated record.

At 4-0 as a pro, Mucitelli has won each fight in the first round, including submission wins against Matt Van Buren at Bellator 73 and Matt Uhde at Bellator 81. His main goal for this fight is to not make the same mistake his first Bellator opponent made against him: Overconfidence against an opponent new to the sport.

“This is a big opportunity for me, and I have to keep that in mind,” he said. “I can’t let that get away from me.”

Firm parenting

Mucitelli was born and raised in northern New York, and his family settled in Syracuse when he was very young. It’s fair to say his parents had much different styles.

“My mother was the kind of person who would bring someone baked goods on her way to drop off clothes to the needy,” Mucitelli said. “My dad was … stricter.”

His father was a football coach, working at different levels as Mucitelli was growing up. He fit the stereotype of the football coach father: stern and demanding, which helped drive Mucitelli as an early athletics standout.

Even though his father was more enthusiastic about him playing basketball, Mucitelli liked football most, and he found time for multiple sports. By the time he was in high school, he was a letterman in three sports, earning multiple honors and serving as the captain for multiple teams.

But there was a catch. Even though Mucitelli’s siblings went to the local public school, he attended a private school where the teams, specifically the football team, weren’t the most competitive.

“It was atrocious,” he said. “I hated losing, and we did plenty of losing. Week after week we would just get stomped on, and I think that kind of helped me now. I didn’t like being out of control, so now I like that it’s one guy against one guy. That helped teach me that.”

Mucitelli went on to join the football team at Wagner College in New York City, but a leg injury derailed his career, and with his extra free time he didn’t find the most productive of activities. He eventually moved to another college, the University at Albany, where he didn’t necessarily find better activities.

But, there was one thing that really helped him: his roommate’s interests.

Strange start, fast moving

The first time Mucitelli went to check out a capoeira class with his roommate, he learned how much his personal-time actions could affect his athletic training.

“I didn’t know it was all that moving around,” he said. “It didn’t feel so great with a stomach full of Jager.”

For a while, as he continued capoeira classes, his main connection to MMA was through a UFC video game and its feature that allowed a user to create his own character. It at least helped to grow his interest, so by the time he noticed the nearby show and called the reverend, he knew he could be interested in fighting.

There was also a health aspect to it for the former finely trained athlete.

“I remember one day I went over a speed bump going to class and I felt my belly move separate from my body,” he said. “That’s when I knew I needed to do something.”

After the awkwardly arranged amateur debut, Mucitelli sought out an organized gym and training regimen, on which he spent about two years getting ready for his next fight. He fought four times as an amateur, including twice for titles.

Marc Stevens, who trained at Mucitelli’s gym, helped arrange for him to make his pro debut in October 2010. His opponent, Steve Skrzat, had been on a hot streak, but Mucitelli opened a cut on his face so bad that a doctor stopped the fight in the first round.

In August 2012, Mucitelli made his Bellator debut in a fight accepted on about a week’s notice. It was a good lesson for him, he said, because he didn’t feel his opponent took him seriously enough because he was still new. It’s a lesson he’s hoping to use in his own fight next week.

“It’s almost the same situation the other way,” he said. “It’s an inspiration not to fall into the same trap. It stuck in my head that’s what happens when you look past an opponent.”

Award-winning newspaper reporter Kyle Nagel pens “Fight Path” each week. The column focuses on the circumstances that led fighters to a profession in MMA. Know a fighter with an interesting story? Email us at news [at] mmajunkie.com.