Grappling Hook

Cleber Sousa’s single-minded approach to training has made him one of the most feared martial artists on the planet, and ONE Championship stands to benefit from his discipline.

The 27-year-old Brazilian will meet former teammate Osamah Almarwai in a 12-minute submission grappling match at ONE 166 this Friday at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. Sousa’s lone appearance under the ONE banner resulted in a unanimous decision defeat to Mikey Musumeci in October 2022. Now, he seeks redemption, with a wealth of experience upon which to draw.

“I’ve been training jiu-jitsu nonstop for about 13 years,” Sousa told Sherdog.com. “The only time I stopped was to undergo meniscus surgeries on both knees. I couldn’t train for about a year, but I came back as soon as possible. I was already a black belt. I started jiu-jitsu around age 13 or 14 at our social project. I’ve enjoyed it since the first class. I haven’t stopped since, nor have I gone into other arts. I had a little training in boxing, to see how it felt to strike, but it was brief. I do train wrestling and no-gi. Everything is focused toward jiu-jitsu.”

Sousa and Almarwai are no strangers, as they used to train together at the Atos Jiu-Jitsu Academy. “That team disbanded not long ago,” Sousa said. “I’ve known Osamah for some time. I’ve followed his career.” Almarwai has plenty of credentials of his own. He became the first International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation world champion from the Middle East in December 2022. Almarwai made his promotional debut at ONE on Prime Video 10 some five months later, losing to Musumeci via rear-naked submission. Sousa expects a stern challenge.

“He’s a good athlete,” he said. “Everyone at ONE has a good name and good skills. I’ve studied his game extensively and train hard every day: physical conditioning, jiu-jitsu, techniques and no-gi. I’ll be ready when I arrive, and I’ll be ready to put on a show. It’s going to be amazing.”

For Sousa, all roads lead back to Musumeci, the reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling champion. The 27-year-old Marlboro, New Jersey, native has won all seven of his matches in ONE, including his aforementioned victories over Sousa and Almarwai.

“With a win, I’d like to face Mikey again for the belt,” Sousa said. “Some rules have changed since [our first match], so I expect we’ll have a more exciting clash.”