Can Kirill Grishenko knock out Buchecha like he did Reug Reug?

Kirill Grishenko will have the chance to get back into the win column in a big way when he meets undefeated heavyweight and rising star Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in U.S. primetime on August 26.

On the ONE Championship Instagram page, the promotion previewed the upcoming contest with the highlight of Grishenko’s sensational knockout of Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane at ONE on TNT IV.

“SHOCKING 😱 Kirill Grishenko vs. Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida will be a BARNBURNER! Watch their heavyweight MMA brawl on August 26 at ONE on Prime Video 1! 🔥 @day_dzu_master”

The Belarusian had his first setback in the circle when he was knocked out by current interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin at ONE: Bad Blood in February. His next matchup is certainly no easier as he faces a 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with a 100% finish rate in MMA thus far.

While Almeida holds a clear advantage on the ground, Grishenko is likely the better striker. Grishenkno is certainly no slouch in the wrestling department either. He could potentially stifle Almeida’s takedown attempts, keeping the contest on the feet where he has the best chance of victory. The longer it stays on the feet, the better the chance is of catching ‘Buchecha’ with a clean shot.

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Kirill Grishenko’s game plan may be simple, but all it takes is one shot to shock Marcus Almeida

It’s really that simple. Neither fighter’s game plan should come as a shock. It will come down to who is more effective at implementing their game plan. Pushing the pace and keeping ‘Buchecha’ moving backwards will be Grishenko’s best path towards preventing solid takedown attempts from Almeida. Establishing an uppercut is always a good tactic to discourage wrestlers from moving in for a shot.

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. A big reason for Almeida’s success is his speed. Being able to keep distance and stay out of striking range is key, but ‘Buchecha’ is an absolute master at closing distance in the blink of an eye, often taking down his opponents before they even realize what happened.

Pushing the pace is vital to Kirill Grishenko’s success, but fighters facing Almeida are often hesitant to get in close for fear of being taken to the mat. Once ‘Buchecha’ has you down, it’s nearly impossible to get back up.