“My guard was already good” – Osamah Almarwai on why he prioritized wrestling training in preparation for Cleber Sousa

Former ONE flyweight submission grappling world title challenger Osamah Almarwai is set to take part in ONE's first-ever live event in the Middle East, ONE 166: Qatar.

Almarwai, a former IBJJF World and Pans No-Gi champion, is the first grappler from the Middle East to become a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. He will lock horns with fellow former ONE world title challenger Cleber Sousa in a 10-minute submission grappling match.

Performing in front of his people and with a possible world title shot on the line, Osamah Almarwai will look to soundly defeat Sousa on March 1.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Almarwai revealed that for this fight camp, he and his team focused on adding wrestling to his already world-class guard game:

“This is something I feel I needed to get – the takedowns. And I feel I’m going to be confident standing up, on top, on bottom. My guard was already good. So I feel this is the advantage that I have over Cleber – being well-rounded in all places, having answers to all his attempts.”

With his attacks off of his back already lethal, adding powerful takedowns to Almarwai's game will make him dangerous from nearly all angles of the game.

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Osamah Almarwai on new wrestling-heavy grappling game: “I’ve never been pushed like this”

Speaking further into his wrestling-heavy preparation for ONE 166, Osamah Almarai described how intense his training was:

“I’m doing a lot of wrestling, and I feel wrestling has improved my jiu-jitsu, my mindset, and my conditioning so much. Like I do wrestling with wrestlers, you know, like a wrestling class, just pure wrestling. And they push you. I’ve never been pushed like this.”

Wrestling is known to be one of the toughest and most intense combat sports in history. Not only will Osamah Almarwai be frightening on the feet, but the intense training alone will also make his competitive mind iron-clad.

ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.