Against Kirill Grishenko, 'Buchecha' faces another dangerous heavyweight striker

17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion ‘Buchecha’ Marcus Almeida will return to the circle soon for his fourth outing since joining the promotion in September 2021.

On August 26, the grappling wizard will face dangerous Belarusian Kirill Grishenko as part of the ONE 161 main card. That evening, the promotion will make its highly anticipated debut on Amazon Prime Video.

Airing at U.S. primetime, Almeida will have all eyes on him as he looks to continue his string of success under the ONE banner. In three appearances, ‘Buchecha’ has recorded a trio of first-round finishes, two via submission and a knockout in his most recent bout with Simon Carson in June.

He next meets capable striker Kirill Grishenko, a heavy-handed heavyweight with three knockouts in five career wins.

ONE Championship recently shared a clip on Instagram of Grishenko getting ready for his upcoming bout with Almeida, utilizing a unique training method to enhance both his striking and his balance.

“Balance is key 🔑 Kirill Grishenko vs. Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida is going to be a BARNBURNER! Watch their heavyweight MMA brawl go down on August 26 at ONE 161! 🔥@day_dzu_master”

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‘Buchecha’ can stick to his winning ways by doing what he does best in the circle

Marcus Almeida has been nothing short of dominant in his ONE Championship tenure. In three bouts, he has only spent a total of 7:46 in the circle. He also carries an impressive 100 percent takedown rate in his three outings. Look for that trend to continue when he faces Kirill Grishenko on August 26.

Almeida’s strategy is no mystery at this point. The Brazilian sensation has been brilliant at keeping distance from strike-heavy opponents before closing that distance in the blink of an eye and taking his opponents to the canvas before they realize what happened.

As he continues to develop his striking, ‘Buchecha’ may opt to stand a trade for a period of time, but don’t expect him to tempt fate. The ground game is his bread and butter, and it’s unlikely he will stray far from it.

Grishenko’s best bet is to, of course, avoid the takedown and try to take Almeida into deep water. Given that every one of Almeida’s appearances have been below the three minute mark, his cardio is yet to be tested in the circle.

If Grishenko can avoid the takedowns early, threatening with some uppercuts and knees at the entry, he may be able to wear down the Brazilian, opening him to some strikes. This offers Grishenko the best opportunity to give Almeida his first ‘O’ in MMA.