"I learned a lot from him" - 'Buchecha' talks about his friendship with Odie Delaney

Odie Delaney made his sophomore appearance for ONE Championship at ONE 158 last Friday. 'The Witness' had an impressive showing on his return, defeating Iranian wrestler Mehdi Barghi via submission 2:22 into the second round.

Also appearing on the card was Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida, who had an equally impressive showing. 'Buchecha' and Delaney have been vocal about their friendship, with the latter referring to Almeida as a "brother in Christ."

Sportskeeda MMA's own Dylan Bowker had the chance to speak with Almeida and ask about this blossoming friendship.

"Odie Delaney is an amazing guy. I met him at American Top Team when I started my MMA career. I had a lot of opportunity to train with him and his wrestling level is impressive. Seeing his size and the skill he has is amazing. I learned a lot from him. I'm happy to see him fighting and getting a very good victory in his debut."

When asked what makes Odie Delaney such a good person, Almeida responded by saying:

"Odie is a person who has a big heart. Everyone likes him. It’s hard to find someone who doesn't like him."

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Marcus Almeida says that Odie Delaney has "potential to go very far in this division"

While discussing Delaney's potential in the ONE circle, Marcus Almeida was very complimentary of the American's ground game, a skill that he believes will take 'The Witness' very far in the heavyweight division.

"Odie's level of wrestling is one of the highest in the United States. He is a guy who is at the top of the category. Undoubtedly, this is one of his main skills. He has everything to go very far in his division. We see athletes who manage to take the fight to their comfort zone and manage to do very well, and he manages to do that using wrestling. He has a lot of potential to go very far in this division."

With another dominant win at ONE 158, Delaney could soon find himself in the heavyweight title picture. His friend Almeida is in a similar position following his third straight finish in the ONE circle.