WATCH: Mikey Musumeci’s clinical dismantling of Masakazu Imanari

ONE flyweight submission grappling world champ Mikey Musumeci may have had the greatest promotional debut for a grappler in any organization. In his debut under the ONE Championship banner, 'Darth Rigatoni' dominantly dismantled a legend in front of a sold-out crowd.

In a high-level chess match showcasing two of the best in jiu-jitsu, Musumeci faced Japanese MMA legend Masakazu Imanari at ONE 156 last year. The two ground masters opened the 10-minute bout by attacking each other's legs right away. Imanari, known for revolutionizing leglocks in MMA, quickly went for his signature foot lock.

What transpired next proved why Mikey Musumeci is the next generation of greatness in the discipline. After masterfully defending Imanari's foot lock, 'Darth Rigatoni' scrambled towards the half-guard top position.

The self-proclaimed "jiu jitsu nerd" majestically transitioned to back control mid-way through a knee-cut pass. We can't be too sure of when and where we saw that transition before, but it's possible that Mikey Musumeci invented it. Imanari, just like the rest of us, had no clue how the future ONE world grappling champion did it.

Still, the veteran Imanari fiercely defended Musumeci's attempts at a rear-naked choke as much as he could. It was delaying the inevitable, however, as the 26-year-old grappling phenom eventually trapped one of Imanari's arms with his legs.

At that point, the match was pretty much over. It's hard enough to defend Mikey Musumeci's rear-naked choke with two arms, let alone with one. The choke came in automatically and the Japanese legend had no choice but to tap out. The new era of jiu jitsu arrived that night, and it's on the back of Musumeci.

ONE Championship posted a highlight video of the match on Instagram:

"The beginning was very different from the end 😅 Who should "Darth Rigatoni" fight next? @mikeymusumeci"

After his successful ONE debut, Mikey Musumeci defeated his rival Cleber Souza six months later for the inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling world title. He then made two successful world title defenses after, a unanimous decision win over Gantumur Bayanduuren and another rear-naked choke victory over Osamah Almarwai.

Catch his most recent win over Almarwai at ONE Fight Night 10 via replay on Amazon Prime Video.