“You got to learn” – Osamah Almarwai on mimicking Mikey Musumeci’s techniques after their epic grappling war

Yemeni BJJ world champion Osamah Almarwai may have suffered defeat at the hands of ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion ‘Darth Rigatoni’ Mikey Musumeci in his ONE Championship debut. But the 31-year-old says he has learned a lot from the ordeal, even taking some of the Italian-American’s moves and adding them to his own playbook.

Almarwai locked horns with Musumeci at the historic ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video in Denver, Colorado, last May 2023. Almarwai lost via submission to ‘Darth Rigatoni’.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Almarwai says that fighting Musumeci was a blessing for his career, and now he’s more dangerous than ever.

The 31-year-old Yemeni superstar said:

“Because if you look at the negative things, you’re not going to improve. And I watched some of Mikey’s techniques, like how he finishes foot locks and so on, and I learned. Even though he’s my opponent, you got to learn.”

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Osamah Almarwai set to face fellow IBJJF world champion ‘Clandestino’ Cleber Sousa at ONE 166

Former Mikey Musumeci victims Osamah Almarwai and Cleber Sousa are set to lock horns in an entertaining submission grappling scrap in the Middle East next month.

Almarwai and Sousa lock horns at ONE 166: Qatar, in ONE Championship’s historic return to the region, to broadcast live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail on Friday, March 1.

It’s a battle between serious grappling contenders and the winner, who could go on to earn a rematch with Musumeci. Needless to say, a lot is riding on this scrap, and Almarwai looks to end up the victor.

ONE 166: Qatar airs live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com. Please visit ONE Championship’s official website for more information on how to watch from your location. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.