Osamah Almarwai says he was excited when Mikey Musumeci called him out

Debuting submission grappling star Osamah Almarwai couldn’t contain his excitement after hearing his name called out by reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion ‘Darth Rigatoni’ Mikey Musumeci a few months ago.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Almarwai recalled the moment Musumeci uttered his name on worldwide television. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion said:

“[When Mikey mentioned my name], I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ I was excited. I think this match makes sense the most because it’s the current [IBJJF No-Gi] World Champion and the No.1-ranked black belt against the ONE World Champion. So I was excited when I heard the callout. I was like, ‘Let’s go.’”

Osamah Almarwai and Mikey Musumeci lock horns on the mats at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video. The two will figure in a submission grappling contest for Musumeci’s ONE flyweight submission grappling world title.

The event broadcasts live from the 1stBank Center in Colorado on May 5, and is free to watch in the United States and Canada on Amazon Prime.

Almarwai trains out of Andre Galvao’s ATOS alongside grappling prodigies Kade and Tye Ruotolo. He is the first BJJ black belt in history from Yemen, and the first Yemen citizen to win an IBJJF world title.

Meanwhile, Musumeci, a decorated BJJ world champion prior to joining ONE Championship in mid-2022, is one of the best submission grapplers on the planet. He made his promotional debut against Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari, then went on to defeat Cleber Sousa to capture the ONE world title.

Most recently, he infamously shattered opponent Gantumur Bayanduuren’s leg in multiple places chasing a submission in his first world title defense last January.