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ONE's Mikey Musumeci made a memorable promotional debut in ONE 156 against Japanese grappling legend Masakazu 'Ashikan Judan' Imanari. Musumeci is already known in grappling circles for being a straight killer. After his performance in his ONE debut, however, the whole world now knows of the 25-year old's greatness.
Imanari is famous for reinventing leglocks in MMA and grappling and is credited with the invention of the 'Imanari Roll'. The Japanese icon was as difficult of a task to overcome as any. Still, Musumeci steamrolled through the revered icon like he didn't belong on the mat with him.
Set to be a one-round, 12-minute grappling match, the bout had no points system. Competitors can only win via submission or by having the most legitimate submission attempts by the end of the match. Needless to say, the two went at it with submission attempts right off the bat.
Imanari opened with his trademark straight footlock but Musumeci masterfully countered and scrambled to the dominant position. Imanari had very little answer to Musumeci's inventive transitions and passes.
Musumeci sliced through Imanari's half-guard and marvelously transitioned to his back in one swift move. From back control, Musumeci trapped one of Imanari's arms and secured a tight rear-naked choke for the finish. The Japanese icon didn't have a choice but to tap.
Watch the full match here:
ONE grappling super star Mikey Musumeci is also an avid dog-lover
Although ONE Championship's grappling phenom Mikey Musumeci is one of the most dangerous men on the mat, away from it, he's an absolute sweetheart.
Don't believe us? Check out one of his latest Instagram stories and let us know if Musumeci isn't the most wholesome person ever:
We challenge anyone who doesn't know who Musumeci is to look at that photo and guess what he does for a living. One might guess he's an IT guy or a librarian or something. A professional grappler adept at strangling the majority of the world's population might not even make it to the top-20 guesses.
This is what makes Mikey Musumeci such a special athlete. This guy is a grappling assassin hiding inside an adorable dog-lover with a boyish smile. He's just like the rest of us, with the same quirks and likes.
A relatable man who makes us realize that being great at something can be for anybody. Even those who feverently love and miss their dogs.
