Masakazu Imanari reflects on the origins of the 'Imanari Roll' ahead of ONE 156

Masakazu Imanari stands apart as one of a very select group of athletes who have had a popular move named after them. The Japanese fighter is a grappling legend and a true pioneer. His trademark 'Imanari Roll' has been used by elite fighters for more than two decades.

The 46-year-old will return to the circle at ONE 156 this Friday, where he'll be competing in submission grappling against Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy Mickey Musumeci.

The Kanagawa-born fighter gave an exclusive fight week interview to Sportskeeda MMA, during which he reflected on the origins of his famous move, saying:

"It was definitely before the 00's. I want to say maybe '99, maybe 1998. I wasn't great at wrestling or takedowns in general, so I figured there must be something I could do. And I guess, looking back - that was my inspiration."

Catch the full interview below:

In previous interviews, 'Ashikan Judan' has spoken about how happy and proud he is to see other athletes using the move. He's described it as "a technique for the people."

The roll has been seen on many occasions, including in 2020 when Tony Ferguson attempted to use it on Justin Gaethje during their interim UFC lightweight title fight in Florida. When asked about the incident, Imanari merely said, "I love Tony Ferguson."

'El Cucuy' is known to be a big proprietor of the roll and gamers were able to perform it when using him as one of the players in the UFC video games.

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Imanari hails growth in level of ONE Championship's MMA roster

'The Leglock Yokai' has seen the evolution of ONE Championship as an organization over the years, having made his promotional debut back in 2012. The veteran said he's open to taking on opponents in both submission grappling and MMA, and was quick to praise the evolution of the roster.

He further told Sportskeeda:

"I think the level of MMA is really top level. "The best in the world. Even if you get matched up against names that you're not familiar with, you can expect really top level opponents."

Musumeci is an opponent with more than two decades of youth on his side. In that regard, this clash represents a meeting of two monster talents from different generations.

Despite his age, Imanari is showing no signs of slowing down and has expressed his interest in a grappling match with Demetrious Johnson in the future.