"Demetrious Johnson" - Masakazu Imanari names which ONE fighter he'd like to take on in a submission grappling contest

[Photo Credits: ONE Championship] Masakazu Imanari and Demetrious Johnson

At ONE 156 this Friday, April 22, Japanese MMA veteran Masakazu Imanari will be testing his skills in a submission grappling match against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.

Imanari is a two-decade veofran in mixed martial arts and is even the inventor of the infamous 'Imanari Roll' maneuver. At ONE 156, he will engage in grappling against multi-time submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci.

The Japanese grappler has a lot of experience in submission grappling matches, in addition to his MMA career. In an exclusive interview with Dylan Bowker of Sportskeeda MMA, Imanari was asked who else he would like to have a submission grappling competition against.

He responded with the all-time MMA great Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson. The reason he picked that person? "Just curious," he says.

"Demetrious Johnson... I just want to see what his level is at. And I'm just curious how I would match up."

Catch the full interview below:

Masakazu Imanari on advances in MMA

Masakazu Imanari began his professional career in MMA over 20 years ago. He is a veteran of Rizin, Dream, Cage Rage, PRIDE, ONE Championship, and many more promotions.

Over the years, this veteran Japanese combatant must have seen great changes in the sport. He explained that today, every opponent, especially in ONE Championship, is world class. Imanari told Sportskeeda MMA:

"I think that [the] level of MMA it's really top level in the world. [They're] the best in the world even if you get matched up against names that you're not familiar with. You can expect really strong opponents."

While he has been fighting for 20 years now, the veteran said that he would like to continue competing for many more. The Japanese star even suggested that he would like to continue to compete in grappling and MMA until he is at least 60 years old. He explained that the only issue might be injuries.

"There are parts of my body that have been kind of hurting, kind of injured. So I really want to take care of my body and focus on recovery."

Masakazu Imanari will continue his long career at ONE 156 on April 22. He will engage in a submission grappling match against five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Mikey Musumeci.

Afterwards, with so many years left in his career, he has his eye on Demetrious Johnson.

Straight 🔥 Can BJJ phenom Mikey Musumeci debut with a victory against Masakazu Imanari on 22 April?

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