ONE 166: Qatar – Saudi hero Osamah Almarwai relishing pressure of ‘home’ fight

Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, Almarwai is one of the world’s elite BJJ practitioners, and will get to display his skills on the mat at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1. 

This will be just his second fight in ONE Championship following his debut in 2023, but his experience and accomplishments in the sport are vast – earning him world renowned acclaim and a host of titles including the no-gi world championship in 2022. 

It is not often he gets to fight in front of a Middle East crowd, but the 31-year-old who was born in Jeddah says he can’t wait.

“Man, I cannot wait for that moment,” he tells Sport360. “I think it’s gonna be one of the best moments in my career. I already have people messaging me from Qatar, Saudi, Yemen, the whole of the Middle East, excited for my upcoming fight, and I have a lot of fans and a lot of supporters who will be there with me.”

Support like that does not come without pressure though, and when he takes to the ring to face Brazil’s Cleber Sousa, Almarwai knows he is carrying the expectations of the region.

“Yeah, so honestly, it’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders,” he explained. “But that pressure is what fuels me to train. I’m training like four times a day. It is a lot of training, but this is what motivates me to wake up, and go to hard training sessions. 

“A lot of people in the Middle East have faith in me. They are waiting for me to win, and I’m doing everything in my power to represent them to the best of my ability.”

ONE Championship returns to the Middle East on March 1 with ONE 166: Qatar at the Lusail Stadium, Doha. A historic night awaits with no less than five title fights planned, and tickets are now available from Virgin Megastore and Q-Tickets.