Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci was utterly dominant from start to finish in his ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title defense against Osamah Almarwai at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video, on Friday, May 5.
The New Jersey native wasted little time in attacking with submissions early and often in this highly anticipated showdown at the sold-out 1stBank Center in Colorado. In fact, he hunted for a number of leg locks during the opening minutes, pressuring the IBJJF No-Gi World Champion immediately.
The Yemeni grappler defended well, but he was forced on the defensive at every second as Musumeci racked up deep heel hook attempts.
With about three minutes remaining, the flyweight submission grappling king changed his tactics to attack Almarwai’s upper body. Musumeci used his expert technique to take his foe’s back before sinking in the match-ending rear-naked choke at 8:03 into the contest.
The 26-year-old BJJ phenom is now 4-0 in ONE with a pair of unforgettable submissions finishes and 61-5 overall. With such a strong performance over a world-class competitor like Almarwai, Musumeci proved he is arguably the planet’s top pound-for-pound grappler.
To make matters sweeter, Musumeci’s dazzling victory netted him a well-deserved US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
