“He was quick to answer my defenses” – Osamah Almarwai details what went wrong in Mikey Musumeci clash

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci’s status as one of the finest grapplers of this generation continues to grow as former world title challenger Osamah Almarwai has testified to how good of a submission artist he really is.

The 31-year-old from Yemen challenged ‘Darth Rigatoni’ for the latter’s 26-pound golden belt in ONE Championship’s historic debut on U.S. soil last May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10, where he eventually lost via submission.

Almarwai was recently interviewed by ONE Championship, and he shared that ‘Darth Rigatoni’ was always ahead of him during their match by saying:

“He was quick to answer my defenses. Whenever I wanted to defend, I remember he was waiting for me with another leg lock or something.”

Prior to his world title match, the 31-year-old Yemeni became the inaugural athlete from the Middle East to become a champion in the IBJJF World Championships, which skyrocketed his name to prominence.

The Atos representative wasn’t the only victim of Musumeci because he also defeated the likes of Masakazu Imanari, Cleber Sousa, Gantumur Bayanduuren, Jarred Brooks, and Shinya Aoki.

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Osamah Almarwai will face Cleber Sousa in a flyweight submission grappling match at ONE 166

Since that defeat to Musumeci, Almarwai is finally back in action as he takes on another former world title challenger, Cleber Sousa, on March 1 inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar as part of the loaded ONE 166 card.

It is going to be an important match for both Almarwai and Sousa, as it could determine the next challenger for Musumeci’s reign as the division’s king.

The winner of this match could demand a rematch with the Evolve MMA representative later this year.

ONE 166: Qatar is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com. Check your local listing for more details.