“It's a challenge I've been wanting” - ‘Buchecha’ excited to face first MMA grappler in Kirill Grishenko

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida, arguably the scariest Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler of his generation, is finally getting the challenge he deserves with a heavyweight bout against Kirill Grishenko.

ONE Championship announced their MMA showdown in July and the 17-time BJJ world champion is over the moon for the opportunity to exchange blows with the Belarusian wrestler at ONE on Prime Video 1, which will air at US primetime on August 26.

What makes the heavyweight bout so explosive is the fact that both fighters have unique backgrounds on the ground. They will test each other’s skill level as Almeida’s jiu-jitsu clashes with Grishenko’s wrestling. The Brazilian legend, for one, is thrilled at the prospect.

'Buchecha' told ONE Championship:

“Kirill Grishenko will be the first grappler I'm going to face in MMA, so I'm really excited about this challenge. He comes from wrestling, I come from jiu-jitsu. I'm a fighter, I'm driven by challenges, and that's something that motivates me. I've faced a striker before, I fought another black belt, but he's going to be the first wrestler, so it's going to be an interesting fight.”

Despite Grishenko having two more years of MMA experience over Almeida, the BJJ phenom is happy to embrace the challenge and put his unblemished 3-0 record on the line.

In the same interview, the 31-year-old concluded:

“It's a challenge I've been wanting. I wanted to face a guy who defends takedowns well to test me, so I think it will be pretty cool to test myself. He has a very good level, he is very strong. I saw some of his wrestling fights, in addition to the MMA fights, so I believe it will be a very cool and interesting fight for those who are watching.”

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'Buchecha' reinforcing elite jiu-jitsu ground game with some dangerous heavy boxing

'Buchecha' wants to reinforce his grappling-heavy fighting style to include some more boxing for his next match against former interim world title challenger Kirill Grishenko.

He’s been working very hard to add more dimensions to his style and the results are getting world-wide attention. Fans caught a glimpse of 'Buchecha’s heavy hands in his latest heavyweight bout against Simon Carson at ONE 158 in June, when he finished the MMA veteran via ground-and-pound.

It goes without saying that Grishenko will have one more thing to worry about when he gets locked inside the circle with the Brazilian superstar.