"Idols became friends" - BJJ GOAT Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida reflects on his legendary submission grappling career

For an athlete to become the cream of the crop and become a widely regarded icon of their sport, it takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice - something that Marcus Almeida knows about.

Better known as 'Buchecha' to submission grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) fans, the Brazilian star has fought the very best throughout his career, recording 138 wins and 17 world titles in his career.

He has since turned his sights to MMA dominance by joining ONE Championship in 2021 and had a monstrous winning streak of four fights - all of them coming by way of a finish, culminating in a submission of Kirill Grishenko.

Taking to Instagram, 'Buchecha' looked back on how important BJJ continues to be in his life:

"When I started training Jiu Jitsu 22 years ago, I never imagined where the sport could take me. And every time I travel around the world to compete, teach seminars or work in some way with sports, a movie plays in my head about this entire journey."

He continued:

"I got to know the world, idols became friends, I made friends, brothers on the mats and today I make a living of the sport. Freedom and gratitude are words that summarize what Jiu Jitsu is for me!"

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'Buchecha' hopes to inspire others struggling with post-surgery recovery

Almeida has had his fair share of injuries and even had his ONE Championship debut delayed due to an injury.

But the IBJJF Hall of Famer was determined to fully recover and spoke about the mental strength it took to go through rehab with an open mind, hoping to inspire others to face such challenges head-on.

As for when his next bout might take place, the Brazilian can still bounce back and restart his journey to a shot at the ONE heavyweight MMA world title.