In January, ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci asked to defend his gold against Yemeni sensation Osamah Almarwai. This Friday, at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video, the New Jersey native will get his wish in what appears to be his toughest test yet inside the Circle. 

Slated to go down at 1stBank Center in Colorado, this co-main event showdown will be the first of three World Title contests headlining ONE’s historic debut on U.S. soil.

Mikey Musumeci was eager to witness the moves showcased by Osamah Almarwai

Musumeci is well aware that he’s in for a serious challenge. After all, “Osa” was a 2022 IBJJF Black Belt No-Gi World Champion – the first-ever competitor from the Middle East to achieve such an honor. “Darth Rigatoni” is excited to face Almarwai because of that impressive accomplishment, not in spite of it.

 According to Musumeci, he expects the challenger to test his jiu-jitsu in new ways, unafraid to engage with one of the world’s top pound-for-pound submission artists, “I want to see his reactions to what I’m working on. I want to see if he gives me something I didn’t take into account when I was training. Because I obsess about every possible reaction my opponent can give me and if I have an answer to that. So these guys that are training for me are preparing to try to give me reactions I’m not used to.”

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“That’s why I love these matches. I love fighting someone that actually does jiu-jitsu and won’t just kick away and run away the whole time.”

Mikey Musumeci intended to attack every second and hunt for a submission

With his computer-like brain for BJJ technique and 22 years of training under his belt, the flyweight submission grappling king is world-renowned for his vaunted guard, complex back-takes, and clean finishing mechanics. 

 In the lead-up to his battle with Almarwai, the American phenom has been spending his notoriously long training days preparing for everything and anything his opponent might bring to the table, ensuring he’ll be able to hunt the submission every second of the match.

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“I’m going to be attacking every second. My style is just to go forward and attack for the kill every second. So the question is going to be: Does Osamah have counters to my attacks? And do I have answers to his counters? Do I? I prepare every second to [hopefully have them]. I’m on the mat every second, studying and trying to figure out every reaction the person could give me when I’m attacking them.”