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Former IBJJF World and Pans No-Gi champion and former ONE flyweight submission grappling world title challenger Osamah Almarwai is set to perform at ONE's inaugural event in the Middle East, ONE 166: Qatar.
Almarwai, who is the first Brazilian Jiu-jitsu world champion to come out of the Middle East, will face fellow former world title challenger Cleber Sousa. With high stakes on the line and in front of his home crowd, Osamah Almarwai will look to win big, hoping to get back into world title contention.
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Almarwai debuted his ONE Championship by challenging his division's dominant king, Mikey Musumeci, for the belt. Knowing full well that Musumeci is one of the most lethal leglock specialists in the game today, Almarwai successfully safeguarded his legs against 'Darth Rigatoni'.
This plan wasn't enough, unfortunately, as Musumeci found his way to Almarwai's back and finished him via a rear-naked choke. Still, the Yemeni submission grappling star saw the loss as an opportunity to learn and improve his game.
He told ONE:
“It may not have showed in the match, but my leg lock defense improved a lot. I mean, it didn’t work against Mikey – obviously he wasn’t getting me with leg locks. But in other matches, when I go against people in the gym or other matches, I feel my leg lock game defense improved. So I have to look at the brighter picture.”
Osamah Almarwai reveals how Mikey Musumeci was always one step ahead in their match
Despite Osamah Almarwai showcasing impeccable leglock defense, Mikey Musumeci proved his championship caliber by overwhelming the Yemeni grappler with waves and waves of submission attempts.
Almarwai told ONE:
"He [Musumeci] was quick to answer my defenses. Whenever I wanted to defend, I remember he was waiting for me with another leg lock or something."
In combat sports, aggression is defined not by the power of your attacks - but by the frequency of your attacks. Musumeci's unbelievable aggression never allowed Almarwai even a second to mount his own attacks. Instead, the Yemeni grappler was too busy putting out fires left and right, eventually making him vulnerable for the fight-ending choke.
Catch Osamah Almarwai lock horns with Cleber Sousa at ONE 166: Qatar, which will air live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.
