Osamah Almarwai

Elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Osamah Almarwai is of Yemeni descent, but he was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. It was there that, following in the footsteps of his older brother, he began his obsession with jiu-jitsu during his teenage years. 

After graduating from high school, Almarwai spent time in both the United States and the Middle East as he rose through the BJJ ranks. Along the way, he worked his way up to brown belt and competed in as many tournaments as possible. 

A talented student, the Yemeni grappler soon relocated to the U.S. to pursue his graduate degree in engineering, and eventually, he landed at the famed Atos Jiu-Jitsu Academy in San Diego in 2019. Under the tutelage of BJJ icon Andre Galvao and training alongside ONE superstars Kade and Tye Ruotolo, Almarwai began to compete at higher and higher levels, all while balancing the demands of school. 

Filled with confidence from his world-class training, the man known as “Osa” quickly became one of the best brown belt competitors in BJJ, winning an IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in 2021. 

In early 2022, Almarwai was awarded his BJJ black belt and immediately proved that he belonged among the elite. Showing a natural inclination for the no-gi game, the rookie black belt won gold at a number of major events, setting him apart as arguably the best overall competitor in his weight class. 

Finally, in December 2022, “Osa” reached the pinnacle of his career thus far when he became the first-ever IBJJF Black Belt World Champion from the Middle East – an honor that garnered him attention from news outlets and fans in the region. That performance also caught the eye of ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci, who specifically asked for a match against Almarwai. 

The Yemeni star ultimately made his promotional debut against Musumeci at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video – the promotion’s sold-out, historic debut on U.S. soil. 

He was unable to get the job done that night, but Almarwai still has his sights set on becoming the Middle East’s first ONE World Champion. 

At ONE 166: Qatar on Friday, March 1, he hopes to make a triumphant return to the region when he faces another former World Title challenger, Brazilian submission ace Cleber Sousa, in a pivotal flyweight submission grappling battle.