3 of the most dangerous submissions in Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida's arsenal

ONE heavyweight behemoth and 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Marcus 'Buchecha ' Almeida has 72 submission wins on his jiu-jitsu record. That's within his 138 wins in grappling competitions. Want to know what's even crazier? This man only lost 14 times and was only tapped four times.

Considering the level of competition he's faced on the mats, that's unheard of. No wonder many people consider him the most accomplished jiu-jitsu competitor in history.

If you crunch the numbers on Almeida's grappling career, it will blow your mind even more. Amongst his notable achievements is winning the International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championship open-weight gold medal six times. Almeida also broke the great Roger Gracie's record of absolute (open-weight) gold medals at the ‘Mundial’ tournaments, one of the most prestigious in the sport.

Upon first glance, you'll notice a major anomaly in how Almeida moves. His pace, speed and agility are akin to that of a lightweight fighter. His size, however, belies his athletic ability. It just doesn't make sense for a person of that size to be moving like that.

Now that he has transitioned into MMA, it's a new world for 'Buchecha' to conquer. Winning his first three fights via stoppage, the jiu-jitsu master has fully embedded his grappling game into his MMA arsenal.

His trademark blast double-leg takedown and heavy pressure passing are evident in all of his fights. His submissions, however, are still yet to be properly showcased. Having won two submission wins (north-south choke, rear-naked choke) inside the circle, we still haven't seen the very best and most lethal weapons Almeida has on the ground.

Before Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida takes to the circle at ONE 161 against former ONE world title challenger Kirill Grishenko, we take an extensive look into Almeida's grappling career and see which submissions are the most lethal in his grappling toolbox.

ONE 161 will broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, August 26, at US primetime.

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#3. 'Buchecha's Kimura Lock

This one's directly connected to Almeida's legendary pressure-passing game and suffocating top control. The Brazilian heavyweight has this way of pinning his opponents on the mat with absolutely no space for them to wiggle out.

His last showing inside the circle showed us a glimpse of what it looks like to be underneath Almeida's locked-in top control. In a video with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson, the grappling icon explained how he manages to keep his opponents immobile while he's dropping all his weight on them.

Watch the video here:

Regardless of whether he's in half-gaurd, side control or mount, if you allow Almeida to pin your shoulders on the mat, you're in trouble. With regards to the kimura lock, 'Buchecha' applies it mostly from top position, pinning his opponents and isolating one of their arms for the excruciating reverse key-lock. The 17-time BJJ world champion has scored three wins via this submission.

It's quite frightening as Almedida has an unparalleled handling of the technique. Once he gets into position and locks you into place, he'll methodically work for the finish. The worst part is that you'll just watch him do it to you because he's put you in a tight position where you cannot do anything about it. Absolutely bone-chiling.

Watch him break down his kimura lock in this instructional video:

#2. 'Buchecha's choke from the back

There is a myriad of different submission holds that Almeida employs once he gets to his opponents' backs, which he often does. Since he's found most of his success in Gi competitions, 'Buchecha' uses the grappling apparel to his advantage.

Almeida uses Gi-centric chokes like the bow-and-arrow choke and the lapel choke quite perfectly from the back. When it comes to No-Gi and MMA matches, the fact that 'Buchecha' can get to the back like no other means he can apply the rear-naked choke without much problem.

In his grappling record, 'Buchecha' has scored a total of 11 submissions from the back position. In grappling, allowing your opponent to take your back siginificantly increases the likelihood of you getting choked out. If it's 'Buchecha' taking your back, however, it's not going to be a probability - it's a certainty.

Just look at how methodical, clean and tight 'Buchecha' worked his way from a cross-face top position to a rear-naked choke:

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#1. 'Buchecha's armbar

Of all the weapons Almeida has in his submission arsenal, his most effective and lethal one is the armbar. He himself admits that it's his favorite submission.

Generally applied from top mount position, the 17-time world champion slaps the arm lock on in different ways, depending on what his opponent gives him. He can do it either via straight armbar or normal belly-up armbar.

Watch how clean Almeida pulled off this armbar from the mount:

There's no extra movement, no fancy maneuvers and absolutely no space for his opponent to counter or defend. From his heavy mounted pressure, Almeida slowly but forcefully crawls his hands upward to isolate both of his opponent's arms. Once he gets the arms where he needs them, Almeida switches his hips faster than lightweight and goes to S-mount to finish the lock.

Almeida finished 15 different opponents via this submission, including modern grappling legend Felipe Pena, whom he submitted twice using the same hold. Needless to say, once you allow 'Buchecha' to get to your mount, just give him your arm. Chances are, he'll take it by force anyway.