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ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci’s latest successful world title defense took on added significance as it came on the heels of another bout of depression.
The jiu-jitsu ace defeated Saudi-born Yemeni grappler Osamah Almarwai by submission (rear-naked choke) in the first of three world title fights at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. The event took place on May 5 in Denver, Colorado, to retain the world title.
Mikey Musumeci was dominant right from the get-go, forcing Osamah Almarwai to be on the defensive for much of the contest. ‘Darth Rigatoni’ shot for leg locks early on, putting the pressure on ‘Osa’ before transitioning his attack to go for his opponent’s upper body.
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The move proved to be telling as once Mikey Musumeci got Osamah Almarwai’s back he never let go of it en route to employing the rear-naked choke that ended the fight at the 8:03 mark of the 10-minute contest.
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In the post-fight interview inside the circle, Mikey Musumeci shared that the road to his latest triumph was not easy as he had to go through a depressive episode along the way.
He was thankful that he got over it and was able to come up with a world title-retaining performance, which also earned him a $50,000 performance bonus. He said:
“I’m so happy right now guys. The last two months have been crazy for me. I went into another depression time. I was barely even able to focus on training, I was so depressed. There’s a quote ‘God is with those who are patient’. I just stayed patient. I kept working hard and now I’m here again. I’m just so blessed to be here right now.”
The win over ‘Osa’ was the second successful defense of the Italian-American grappling genius of the world title he won last September.
ONE Fight Night 10 was ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States, which took place at 1stBank Center in Denver. The replay of the landmark event can be watched for free via Amazon Prime in North America.
