Watch: Mikey Musumeci breaks down his insane debut

Submission grappling can sometimes be hard to watch for the uninitiated, so allow Mikey Musumeci to break down the sophisticated art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In a video that ONE Championship posted on YouTube, the grappling star broke down how he submitted Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari in his debut fight match at ONE 156: Eersel vs. Sadikovic.

Musumeci submitted Imanari with a methodical rear-naked choke 4:09 into their submission grappling match last April at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. As patient as he was inside the circle, Musumeci pinpointed the events that led him to get Imanari’s back and ultimately lock in the submission hold.

“My biggest thing when I was attacking Imanari from the back is feeding my left hand to his cross wrist just like I did now I’m able to trap his arm. Once I trap his arm I’m able to make it so that he has zero arms to fight me when I’m attacking the back.”

He added:

“Now I lock a body triangle with his arm trapped. Now what I’m working to do is place my hand to the side of his neck and the way I do this is I bring his chin down like this. The second I’m able to bring his chin down I’m able to place the side of my hand on his neck and once I do that I’m able to start wedging his head off his chest with my chin and my other hand.”

Musumeci was already a superstar in the world of BJJ before he entered ONE Championship. The 25-year-old is a five-time IBJJF BJJ world champion and he successfully transitioned his expertise from the mats to the cage.

‘Darth Rigatoni’ admitted that he was at odds with the circle at first, but he found a way to use the cage to his advantage in tapping out Imanari.

“Now I walk my hand behind his back and use my chin to hide the hand. At this moment I’m already choking Imanari, the choke is already in, but then once I add in the second hand of support it’s completely done and he has no hands to fight and I was able to get the finish.”

Watch Mikey Musumeci break down his latest win in ONE Championship below:

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Mikey Musumeci gives props to Imanari

Mikey Musumeci, just like any submission grappler, holds Imanari in high regard and knows the devastating leg locks the Japanese fighter brings.

Aware of the devastating Imanari Roll, Musumeci started the fight on guard in an attempt to prevent the transition maneuver. Imanari, the wily veteran that he is, still found a way to get a leg lock midway through the bout.

Nevertheless, Musumeci was the one who got to implement his style near the end and get the submission win.

Mikey Musumeci told Imanari after their bout that he was honored to fight such a figure in the field of martial arts.

“And then immediately I tell Imanari how much of a legend he is and how much of an honor was to compete with him.”

While Imanari is a career mixed martial artist, he often favored BJJ as his base. The 46-year-old has an astounding mark of 28 wins coming by way of submission.