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ONE Championship has one of the most reverred grapplers in the world that you may not have heard of. If you've been following or practicing jiu-jitsu for a significant amount of time, you may have heard of the move called "Imanari Roll."
It's the leg entanglement move that Ryan Hall pulled off to submit B.J. Penn a few years back. Basically, you dive forward into a roll to catch your opponent's leg straight to a footlock or heel-hook.
Here's an animated version of the move. It's quite awesome:
The Imanari Roll has been known to be one of the most effective leglock entries and yet, one of the most difficult to pull off. The move was named after the man who popularized it, Masakazu Imanari, who is currently signed with ONE Championship. Known for his inventive and dangerous leg-lock game, Imanari was one of the few MMA fighters who brought a lot of attention to leg attacks.
With his grappling wizardry, Imanari has won numerous MMA world titles, namely the Cage Rage featherweight championship as well as DREAM bantamweight, featherweight and Grand Prix titles. His deep knowledge of the leg-lock game at a time when it was a complete mystery to everyone earned Imanari the nickname "Ashikan Judan" ("The Great Master of Leg Submissions").
In his run in ONE Championship, Imanari was able to use his frighteningly slick jiu-jitsu to win submissions over world-class MMA fighters. His notable wins include against former ONE bantamweight champion Kevin Belingon and surging Korean superstar Kwon Won Il. He beat both via his trademark heel-hook.
Watch Imanari's highlight reel in ONE Championship here:
Masakazu Imanari will welcome grappling star Mikey Musumeci to ONE Championship at ONE: Reloaded
ONE has confirmed the latest match added to their ONE: Reloaded card on April 22. Grappling fans will have a treat waiting for them as the old legend in Masakazu Imanari will face a rising star in Mikey Musumeci in a straight submission grappling match.
Given how much of what made Imanari famous was in MMA, this will be a return to his roots in strict jiu-jitsu contests.
Mikey Musumeci is one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts today. Training under Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns and Jonatas 'Tagarela' Gurgel, Musumeci became famous in the lower belt divisions of the sport.
One can say that Musumeci is one of the best representatives of modern-day grappling, being heavily reliant on crazy berimbolo and crab ride positions. He is also the 4th American to have ever won an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) world championship gold medal in the black belt division. He is also the first American athlete to conquer this feat more than twice.
With old-school grappling wizardry vs. a new breed of jiu-jitsu style, Musumeci vs. Imanari will surely be one of the highlights of ONE: Reloaded.
