Born to Yemeni parents and raised in Saudi Arabia, San Diego resident Osamah Almarwai has gone further than any Arab athlete in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world. And this weekend, Almarwai looks to go one step further by becoming the Flyweight World Champion in submission grappling at the ONE Fight Night 10 event in Colorado this Friday.
The Singapore-based ONE FC will be staging their first-ever event in the US with a killer card in the mixed martial arts world. Three world title fights in MMA, Muay Thai and submission grappling are on the main card, and the world title fight of Musumeci vs. Almarwai is one of the most anticipated of the night.
Under the guidance of world-famous Andre Galvao at the Atos Academy in San Diego, Almarwai has been training in BJJ for almost 15 years. He started grappling while in high school in Saudi Arabia and continued while getting his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering.
“I tried a lot of sports — I did judo, taekwondo, kung-fu, wrestling and jiu-jitsu — but what I loved about jiu-jitsu was the technical aspect,” said Almarwai. “In Japanese, jiu-jitsu means ‘the gentle art.’ It is a sport where the technique is more important than power or strength. As an engineer, I think that catered to my personality. We, engineers, sometimes are considered nerds, we love thinking and solving problems. I love BJJ because of the thinking element of it — I thought I could be successful at it.”
Almarwai, who also has a master’s degree in engineering management, was right, and has seen huge success in the sport. Within just a few short years he has become Number 1 IBJJF Rooster Weight No-Gi (2022), IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2022), IBJJF Pan No-Gi Champion (2022), IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi Champion (2022), IBJJF World Master Champion (2022), Number 1 IBJJF Rooster Weight No-Gi (2021 brown), IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2021 brown), IBJJF American Nationals No-Gi Champion (2021 brown) and hopes to add the highly coveted ONE Flyweight World Champion title in submission grappling on May 5.
The highly decorated and ONE Flyweight World Champion in submission grappling, Mikey Musumeci, will be one of Almarwai’s biggest tests. The American is considered by many to be the world’s top pound-for-pound submission grappler and was the one who called for the fight with Almarwai after the Yemeni won the Black Belt IBJJF World Championship last year.
“Mikey is one of the best in the world; he has been a black belt for a while. He asked for me because he wanted a challenge. And when I got the offer, I was super excited and accepted right away. I train with the best, and the only way to test yourself is to fight the best,” said the 31-year-old.
Almarwai has been training for this fight for three months, including one month during Ramadan. “I trained three times a day while fasting. It isn’t easy, especially not having water. I do a lot of cardio, so I need to rehydrate. But I am thankful I went through it well; I did all my training sessions and didn’t skip a single one. I was able to challenge my mind and body during this time,” he said.
But Ramadan was not the only difference in the camp. Almarwai is training for one of his biggest fights yet and against a very aggressive opponent. He has been working with the Ruotolo brothers under the guidance of his coach, Andre Galvao, at one of the best BJJ gyms in the country, in careful preparation for the fight.
“Mikey is one of the best grapplers in the world — he is the current champion. Usually, I am fighting in tournaments, so in a weight bracket I will fight multiple opponents. But with this fight, I am only having to focus on one fighter, Mikey. My team and I have been studying all his fights, his strengths and his weaknesses. I have been training hard, sometimes over two hours at a time. This helps make the 10-minute round easier in comparison. I am used to 10-minute rounds as a black belt — that is what we fight in matches. So, I know how to pace myself and control my energy,” he said.
This is the first event in the US by ONE FC, with fans already showing a huge appetite for Almarwai’s debut on the night. “To be one of the main cards and fight for a world title is a huge honor for me. The event is going to be exciting. I expect we will go hard at it; it will be 10 minutes of non-stop action. My prediction is that I will get the submission. I have the best team and I have the right people around me,” he said.
“Once I win the title, I want to face him again in my backyard — the Middle East. To take the title in his backyard, bring it home and face him again there, would be ideal,” the Yemeni grappler added.
The talented IBJJF No-Gi World Champion will try to capture another first for his Middle Eastern heritage and the pressure to show the world that champions do come from countries like Yemen and Saudi Arabia is what drives Almarwai every day.
“I do feel a lot of pressure. I have been getting a lot of love and support from so many people back home, and in the GCC, as well as the US. But I have dealt with this type of pressure before when I fought for my black belt, and it drives me. To show the world that we have champions in the Middle East, and we can win world titles,” he said.
“Although I reside in San Diego and train here, I hope to return home one day and open a fight center, and maybe inspire some Middle Eastern world champions.”
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Friday, May 5.
After his fight, Almarwai will go straight back into the gym on Monday to begin training for the IBJJF World Championships set to take place in California from June 1-4.
