“It made me a better person” – Osamah Almarwai says match with Mikey Musumeci had great impact on him on and off the Circle

Osamah Almarwai did not get the result he was hoping for when he challenged Mikey Musumeci for his flyweight submission grappling world title last year.

Still, the Yemeni grappler is beyond grateful for the experience since it made him not just a better athlete but also a better human being.

Speaking in an interview with ONE, Almarwai recalled what it was like preparing for arguably one of the most talented BJJ specialists in the world today.

“That camp changed me. Even though I lost, it made me a way better grappler than I was, just dealing with all the pressure because it was something new.”

Moreover, Almarwai says dueling a superstar like Mikey Musumeci also allowed him to come out of his shell, particularly during his media obligations.

The Atos standout added:

“I was doing interviews every day with people from the Middle East and in the US. So it made me a better person.”

Osamah Almarwai will look to showcase his personal growth on and off the mats when he returns at the historic ONE 166: Qatar.

The IBJJF No-Gi World Champion will duke it out with Cleber Sousa in the promotion’s Middle East debut at Lusail Sports Arena.

ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Osamah Almarwai has added Mikey Musumeci’s back-take sequence to his arsenal

If you can’t beat them, join them. Or, in this case, use their technique.

Even Osamah Almarwai was left astonished by Mikey Musumeci’s wizardry when he used a brilliant back-take sequence in their bout.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ eventually used that opening to lock in the fight-ending rear-naked choke and retain his belt.

Instead of being salty about it, Almarwai admits he studied Musumeci’s technique and now uses it himself. He revealed in the same ONE interview:

“The technique that Mikey caught me with, the pass, taking my back, and submitting me, and I went back and I studied that and I started applying it in the gym. When I catch you with this I’m like, ‘You know where I learned this from? Getting caught by Mikey.”