ALBAWABA - Yemeni athlete Osamah Almarwai, the first-ever Arab to win the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu world championship, is set to face competitors for the Flyweight world championship in submission grappling on May 6 in the United States.
Almarwai won the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation's No-Gi World Championships in both brown and black belts twice in 2021 and 2022.
At present, the Yemeni athlete is training in the United States, at Atos, which is one of the most famous Jiu-jitsu gyms in the world.
He is bracing for facing Mikey Musumeci, an American submission grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt competitor, for the Flyweight world championship in submission grappling this week.
Osamah Almarwai, was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. He won most of his belts there, except the black.
He will be starring in the co-main event of ONE Championship's first-ever event in the United States.
The event itself is a pivotal moment in the history of martial arts as the Singapore-based martial arts organization, which leads the East at $1.4 billion value, is heading to the U.S., the homeland of its main competitor the UFC, for the first time ever.
The event is headlined by the trilogy of MMA GOAT and former UFC star, Demetrious Johnson vs Adriano Moraes.
At what age did Osamah start sports training?
Osamah told AlBawaba that he started training when he was about 17 in Saudi Arabia, but he stopped when he went to Florida in the United States after finishing highschool to study English. Then he resumed again at the age of 19.
How did he discover his passion for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in particular?
He said: "The person who motivated me to start martial arts in general, and Jiu Jitsu, was my brother Al Muhannad."
He noted that his brother has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and that he was the one who motivated Osamah into Jiu Jitsu.
In the beginning, the Yemeni athlete said he started practicing as a hobby, but eventually, he started competing professionally.
How does he feel about competing against Mikey Musumeci? And what are his expectations?
"I feel great so far going into this fight with Mikey Musumeci. He’s one of the best in the world, I’ve been watching him for years now," Osamah Almarwai revealed.
"I've been preparing for about four months for this match," he added, pointing out that he has been trained physically and mentally for the competition.
He noted that he has been watching Musumeci moves for a long time, with the hope that he might be able to win the competition against him.
Currently, he is being trained by Andre Galvao, his coach, and the Ruotolo brothers.
What are his future goals?
He said that one of his main, future goals is, of course, is to win the flyweight title at ONE Championship.
He added that he aims to win more black belt world titles and wishes to inspire Middle Eastern practitioners about martial artists in the Middle East.
In the end, Almarwai said the Middle East needs more training centers for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the right support as few people in the region know the about sport.
He wants to show the world that the Middle East has good quality practitioners and great martial artists. "We just need the right platform to perform," he said.
He hopes to make good on his word on May 6, when he faces his American counterpart. And, he wished to show the world that this can be done by winning the world championship title.
About Brazilian jiu-jitsu:
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a self-defense martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds.
It was initially developed in 1925 by Brazilian brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., George, and Hélio Gracie.
Written by Sally Shakkour
