"I think he's definitely one of the best right now" - Masakazu Imanari on Mikey Musumeci ahead of ONE 156 

Masakazu Imanari has faced enough grappling talents in his career to know that Mikey Musumeci is the real deal.

On Friday, April 22, Imanari will welcome Musumeci in the Circle at ONE 156: Eersel vs. Sadikovic. The action will be broadcast live from Singapore starting at 5:00PM SGT.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA just days before the event, Imanari shared his honest thoughts on his opponent:

“He’s definitely one of the best right now that there are. I think he’s a really high-level opponent. He has high-level techniques and pulls off submissions at a high percentage. I can’t really find any weaknesses in him.”

The 25-year-old Musumeci has over 50 wins in his grappling career and is a five-time IBJJF Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. He rose to prominence by collecting wins using a modern style of grappling that relies heavily on the berimbolo and crab ride positions.

He signed with ONE Championship this past March as the promotion looks to put a spotlight on submission grappling.

Meanwhile, Imanari is one of the best MMA grapplers of his generation. He will look to prove that his signature style can still hold up against a representative of modern-day grappling.

---

Masakazu Imanari could be a featured star in submission grappling

While Masakazu Imanari is primarily a mixed martial artist, he could consider competing more in submission grappling, especially with the growing roster and the level of competition in it.

ONE Championship is looking to put more shine on submission grappling, as evidenced by a second straight event featuring the sport at ONE 156: Eersel vs. Sadikovic. Featuring big names like Imanari could help the sport gain ground in establishing young talents and producing exciting matches.

Imanari's MMA success has been largely thanks to his grappling skills, and he could do well competing in submission grappling bouts.

While this may be a one-time thing for now, a good win against Musumeci on Friday could be the push that Imanari needs to consider transitioning away from MMA to thrive in his element.